Keeneland September: $280K Unbridled's Song filly leads early selling at Monday session

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Fillies ruled the results list Monday as the Keeneland September yearling sale’s Book 4 portion got under way Monday in Lexington.

Fillies held the top spots by price on the results sheet at 3 p.m., including the $280,000 session-leader. That was an Unbridled’s Song daughter, the first foal out of Grade 2 winner Tizfiz and a member of 1997 Horse of the Year Favorite Trick’s family.

Pelican LLC bought the gray or roan filly, a Jan. 17 foal last year. Baccari Bloodstock was the consignor.

The other leading fillies by that hour were a $150,000 Exchange Rate-Tina’s Goal filly that Anthony Dutrow bought from Castle Park Farm, agent; a $140,000 Tapit-Punch Appeal filly that agent Bruno DeBerdt bought from Gainesway’s agency; a $120,000 Malibu Moon-Silent Siren filly that agent Nick de Meric bought from Spendthrift (Mark Toothaker, agent); and a $120,000 Old Fashioned-Angel Island filly that Michael Sucher bought from the Taylor Made agency.

The most expensive colt at 3 p.m. was a $150,000 Cowboy Cal half-brother to record-setting Grade 1 winner Albert the Great. Jun H. Park, agent, bought the April 29 son of Bright Feather from Winter Quarter Farm’s agency.

On Sunday, the last session for which complete results were available, the sixth session grossed $21,625,000 for 281 yearlings, up 5 percent from last year’s total for 292 horses at the 2011 Sunday session. Average also increased, rising 9 percent from last year’s $70,462 to $76,957, and median price gained 20 percent as it climbed from $50,000 at last year’s Sunday session to $60,000 this year. Session buybacks were 23 percent, slightly better than last year’s 24 percent at the equivalent session.

Winchell Thoroughbreds bought Sunday’s session-topper, a $370,000 Elusive Quality colt out of Distinctively, a daughter of 1994 champion 3-year-old filly Heavenly Prize. KatieRich Farms sold the bay May 25 foal out Distinctively, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Good Reward and Grade 2 winner Pure Prize, both stallions now.

Cumulatively through Sunday, the auction had sold 1,232 yearlings for $180,269,000, a total that was running behind last year’s gross of $186,405,000 for 1,325 at the equivalent Sunday session. But the cumulative average Sunday was up 4 percent over last year at $146,322 versus $140,683, and the $100,000 cumulative median was level with last year’s figure through the Sunday session. Cumulative buybacks through Sunday were 26 percent, level with figure at last year’s Sunday session.

The sale was to continue through Sept. 21 at the Keeneland sale pavilion in Lexington. Sessions start daily at 10 a.m., and the auction sessions are available online via live streaming at www.keeneland.com.