Keeneland September: Divine Park colt tops Thursday session at $110K

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A $110,000 Divine Park colt led selling at the Keeneland September yearling auction’s 10th, and penultimate, session Thursday afternoon as average slipped but median jumped from the corresponding Thursday session last year.

Thursday’s session sold 225 yearlings for $3,937,500, well down from last year’s $5,131,100 for 291 yearlings, but average finished only slightly down, dipping from $17,633 last year to $17,500, a decline of less than 1 percent. Median gained 17 percent, rising from last year’s $12,000 to $14,000

Cumulatively, the 10 sessions have posted an average price of $91,973 and a $50,000 median, up 6 percent and 25 percent, respectively, from last year. The auction has grossed $217,976,500 for 2,370 yearlings, down 1 percent from last year’s total through the corresponding Thursday session, when the auction had sold 2,539 horses for $220,318,600.

Cromwell Bloodstock bought the session-topping Divine Park colt, an April 14 son of the placed Skip Away mare Window Woman. The bay colt is a half-brother to 2012 Delaware stakes winner Window Boy. Blake-Albina Thoroughbred services, agent, was the consignor.

(For Keeneland September sales results, click here)

The buyback rate also improved, falling from 17 percent at last year’s corresponding Thursday session to a very low 9 percent. For the 10 days of this year’s sale, buybacks were down from 22 percent last season to 20 percent.

Average and median both made big jumps at Wednesday’s ninth session. With 302 yearlings sold, the average was up 23 percent at $27,245 and median leaped 33 percent to $20,000. The buyback rate plummeted to an extraordinarily low 10 percent, down from 14 percent last year.

Cumulatively through Wednesday, the 2012 auction remained on pace to advance over last year’s average and median. The nine-day average stood at $99,785, up 4 percent from last year at this time of the sale, and the $55,000 median was up 10 percent.

Wednesday’s session-topper was a $220,000 Yes It’s True colt out of Wadena, a winner by Saint Ballado. Trainer James Kasparoff, as agent, bought the colt from Bill Reightler’s agency.

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.