LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Keeneland September yearling sale gets to catch its breath with a day off on Friday following a breathtaking start to its marathon run, with double-digit gains through the upper-market portion of the bellwether auction that have it poised for, perhaps, another historic edition. "You never get complacent, and this type of a market, it's a little surreal," Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy said. "Just a good, healthy environment, and a great vibe [going forward], as well." The 12-session Keeneland September sale, which has thousands of yearlings slotted into various segments based on their perceived quality, began with two Book 1 sessions on Monday and Tuesday, followed by Book 2 on Wednesday and Thursday. The same upper-market buyers typically shop both books before the sale takes a dark day on Friday. To this point of the sale, Keeneland reports 671 horses sold through these opening four sessions for total gross receipts of $307,639,000. Through the first four sessions in the same format last year, 640 horses had brought $252,528,000. Both sets of figures include only horses sold through the ring, not yet accounting for private sales on the grounds that will ultimately be factored into official results. Crossing the $300 million threshold is considered a key figure in this sale's metrics – and it is remarkable that that gross has already been surpassed with the majority of sessions still remaining. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. "There were several September sales, in the early years, but also post-2008 economic crash, and then, I think, the COVID year, where it didn't even sniff $300 million for the whole thing," Keeneland senior director of sales operations Cormac Breathnach said. "This is putting money back into the hands of the people who make this industry go. The breeders are the backbone of the sale, but also the industry. Nobody does such a difficult job." The activity thus far has been characterized by blockbuster results at the top of the marketplace. A total of 53 horses have sold for seven figures through two books – 35 in Book 1, followed by 18 in Book 2. This sale has already shattered the record for total seven-figure horses at a September sale, eclipsing the 40 during the 2005 sale. Buyers have had to stretch to a cumulative average price of $458,478 – up 16 percent from $394,575 through four sessions last year. “It is definitely a seller’s market right now," said buyer April Mayberry. "We expected, after watching [Fasig-Tipton] Saratoga, everything was going to be a little bit higher and we were not wrong. You’re gonna have to work for it. If you want them, you’re going to pay for them." The median, considered a key figure for market health because it samples a wide swath of the activity rather than being influenced by the top prices as the average can be, is up 17 percent, to $350,000 from $300,000. The buyback rate is 27 percent, improved from 30 percent at this point last year. The 2024 Keeneland September sale ultimately finished with record numbers for gross and average and tied its record median. "We'd have been happy with more modest gains than those, based on the record sale last year," Breathnach said. "Just grateful to our supporters." The 53 seven-figure horses thus far have been purchased by 32 different buying parties, officially appearing on the sale tickets. There is some crossover because of partnerships; for example, Coolmore and Peter Brant's White Birch bought horses together, but added Winchell Thoroughbreds to one partnership, and Mike Repole bought horses on his own, but also partnered with several other entities on high-end lots. Still, the overall landscape showed diversity and strong competition. "I feel really good for the breeders, great for the consignors who supported us, and I think the buyers are having a blast," Lacy said. A $1.55 million Gun Runner colt led Thursday's Book 2 finale, going to Coolmore and White Birch. The sale capped a strong week for Gun Runner, who leads all sires here by both gross sales and average price. The Three Chimneys Farm resident, the 2017 Horse of the Year and a Hall of Famer, currently ranks third on the general sires earnings list, looking to finish in that top three for the third consecutive year. "The stallion is doing very well," Coolmore's M.V. Magnier said. "All the lads seemed to like [this colt] a good bit." The colt, who was consigned by Four Star Sales as agent for breeder Three Chimneys, is the second foal out of the Into Mischief mare Twenty Carat, winner of the Grade 3 Beaumont. Twenty Carat is a half-sister to stakes winner Point Proven. Their dam is a half-sister to three graded stakes winners, most notably Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Shared Account, dam of Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Sharing. This colt is an April foal, and Kerry Cauthen of Four Star Sales said the colt "wasn't furnished yet" when he first saw him in April of this year, around his actual first birthday. That likely led to his placement in Book 2 rather than Book 1, but in the ensuing months, the colt has developed. "He was a rangy horse that probably didn't have it all pulled together at the time," Cauthen said. "People will sort of say, 'Hey, what's this million-dollar horse doing in Book 2?' He was narrow, he was light, but Ashley Bradshaw Franz who works with me, she saw, and I saw, that this horse would come along and have the chance to really develop, and he did. He came all the way along. He walked great. He was a big, tall, strong horse that looks like he has all the world, all the future ahead of him." Gun Runner finished these first four days of the sale with 12 seven-figure yearlings, a number matched by Not This Time (Taylor Made Farm). Not This Time and Gun Runner currently sit second and third, respectively, on the national general sires list behind six-time reigning leader Into Mischief (Spendthrift Farm), who has five seven-figure yearlings this week. Big things were expected for the first crop by Horse of the Year Flightline (Lane's End Farm) and he delivered with eight seven-figure yearlings. Joining him were fellow first-crop sires Jackie's Warrior (Spendthrift) and Life Is Good (WinStar Farm) with one each. Also represented at the top of the market were Tapit (Gainesway) with four seven-figure yearlings, Curlin (Hill 'n' Dale) with three, Constitution (WinStar), Good Magic (Hill 'n' Dale), and Nyquist (Darley) with two each, and Ghostzapper (Adena Springs) with one. "It's nice to see first-season sires doing well," Lacy said. "Obviously, Flightline and others [did] well in Book 1, but Jackie's Warrior coming up and getting $1.3 million [in book 2] is really encouraging. You know, the quality is coming through and from all the sectors, whether it's Tapit, Gun Runner, the Curlins, they all bring the money they deserve, but the quality first-season sires are getting well-rewarded as well. That's incredibly encouraging. The 12-session Keeneland September sale takes its lone dark day on Friday – but the grounds will by no means be silent. The horses cataloged in Book 3, which continues the sale on Saturday and Sunday, will be being shown and inspected in the barn area. Book 3 had a high price of $900,000 last year – and with the strength of this year's market, that could go even higher. "I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this since Keeneland July in the 80s, with Sheikh Mohammed and Robert Sangster," bloodstock agent Mike Ryan said. "It’s going to trickle the whole way down. ... With the dark day, Saturday’s horses get shopped very thoroughly.” Keeneland September will then continue into next week with a two-session Book 4, and then Books 5A and 5B, the re-branded final four days of the sale. This second week of the sale, often frequented by pinhookers as well as end-users, is crucial for overall market health, and others expressed that they expect momentum to continue. "Usually, when the market starts off like this, starting with Saratoga, followed by a very, very wild Book 1, Book 2 gets harder, and Book 3 gets harder, and the momentum gets stiffer and stiffer," Brian Graves, general manager of breeder and consignor Gainesway, said. For hip-by-hip results, click here. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.