Keeneland sale: Shadwell sells seventh session's two priciest horses

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Keeneland’s 11-day November breeding stock sale 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 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 on 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 up from the total sales achieved by day seven last year, when 1,664 horses had sold. The average price of $120,428 was 51 percent ahead of last season’s at the same stage of the sale, and the $46,000 median represented a gain of 31 percent.

The seven-day cumulative buybacks were barely altered, dipping one point from 21 percent last year to 20 percent in 2011.