Keeneland sells $70K filly on Saturday

Prices continued to fall Saturday as the two-week Keeneland September yearling sale wound down to its Sept. 23 conclusion. After posting 20- to 25-percent drops at its Friday session, the Saturday session had a $70,000 session-leader in Hip No. 4285, a Closing Argument filly.

John Brocklebank, a yearling-to-juvenile reseller who has been highly active in the auction's second week, purchased the daughter of the winning Arch mare Arch Enemy. Claiborne, agent, was the seller.

Later in the session, a Vindication filly out of Blue Guru, by El Prado, also brought $70,000 but turned out not to have reached her reserve. Hidden Brook, agent, was her consignor.

Friday's session sold 276 yearlings for $6,203,400, down 26 percent from last year's total for 289 horses at the equivalent session. Average and median also dropped sharply from last year's levels, with average falling 22 percent to $22,476 and median plummeting 25 percent to $15,000.

The cumulative figures showed less severe decreases, but through Friday's 11th session the auction was still running well behind last season's returns. At the close of business on Friday night, 2,768 horses had sold for $319,287,900, down 14 percent, while the $115,350 average and $60,000 median were down 12 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

The auction, which offered a record catalog of 5,555 yearlings, was to continue through Tuesday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.