Keeneland sale continues its gains

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Keeneland’s November breeding stock sale rolled into its eighth day Monday off of heady gains all last week, though the Monday session had yet to produce a six-figure horse by 3 p.m.

The session-leader at that time came close, selling for $90,000 to Lavin Bloodstock. That was Southern Scholar, a 5-year-old full sister to stakes winner Dixie Band. The Dixie Union mare was cataloged in foal to Midshipman. Consigned by the Lane’s End agency, Southern Scholar is out of the graded-placed stakes winner Tutorial. The family also includes Bachelor Beau and Just Jenda, among other stakes performers.

The 11-day auction continued its strong upward trend Sunday at its seventh session, with more hefty gains in all categories and a $190,000 racing or broodmare prospect as the day’s high point.

Castleton Lyons purchased the session-topper, the 3-year-old Unbridled’s Song filly Sanadaat, a half-sister to stakes winners Super Frolic and Stormy Frolic. Shadwell Farm consigned the daughter of graded winner Lindsay Frolic, by Mt. Livermore. Shadwell offered Sanadaat as a racing or broodmare prospect.

Shadwell also sold the session’s second most expensive horse, $150,000 Shaaraat, a 3-year-old Distorted Humor filly. Sarah and Ken Ramsey bought Shaaraat, a racing or broodmare prospect out of English stakes winner Nafisah. She is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Snaafy.

Sunday’s session sold 284 horses for $6,892,600, up 42 percent from the total at last year’s equivalent session for 279 horses. The session average gained 40 percent to hit $24,270, and the median moved up 29 percent to $15,500. Last year, the seventh session had a $17,366 average and a $12,000 median.

Session buybacks declined very slightly, from 18 percent in 2010 to 17 percent Sunday.

Through Sunday, the auction was running well ahead of its returns at the same point in 2010. With 1,628 horse sold so far this season, the 2011 edition has grossed $190,056,500, more than the aggregate for the entire auction last year and 48 percent increase from the total sales achieved by Day 7 last year, when 1,664 horses had sold. The average price of $120,428 was 51 percent ahead of last season at the same stage of the sale, and the $46,000 median represented a gain of 31 percent.

Cumulative buybacks were barely altered, dipping 1 point, from 21 percent last year to 20 percent in 2011.

The Keeneland November sale was to continue through Thursday, with sessions starting at 10 a.m. daily.

◗ WinStar Farm in Lexington has hired Gerry Duffy as its stallion seasons director. Duffy most recently was a member of Darley Stud’s stallion nominations department, a position he held for the last five years.