LEXINGTON, Ky. – From the thousands of yearlings cataloged to the Keeneland September sale – accounting for more than 28 percent of the foal crop, according to estimates from The Jockey Club – only so many can be placed in the elite Book 1 portion that opens the sale. That means that true high-quality horses are filtered into the subsequent books – and some of the same high-end buyers were active as Book 2 opened Wednesday, looking to fill their rosters after a competitive start to the week. “We bought one horse in Book 1,” said Lee Searing of CRK Stables. “Book 1 was more money than I think most people would imagine. Book 2 has always been really good, so we’re here to buy more horses.” With a $1.9 million colt by Gun Runner leading the way, a remarkable 13 horses sold for seven-figure prices in Wednesday’s Book 2 opener. Five horses reached seven figures in the entire two-session Book 2 last year. “It’s a crazy sale,” said Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who was the co-breeder – yes, breeder – of the session-topper. When the dust settled, Keeneland reported that 221 horses sold in Wednesday’s session for gross receipts of $85,702,000. In last year’s comparable Book 2 opener, 220 horses sold for $69,917,000. Both sets of session 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. Wednesday’s average price was $387,792, spiking 22 percent from $317,804 in the comparable 2024 session. The median rose 18 percent, to $325,000 from $275,000. “We joked in the back ring that the market was so hot it set the alarms off,” Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy said following the session, which was briefly paused by a false fire alarm. “We knew the firepower was still here, the money was obviously well-represented. . . . That was massive. A little bit speechless.” The buyback rate for the session did rise slightly, to 31 percent from 28 percent. “It’s a testament to the fact that people are not just throwing their money at stuff,” Lacy said. “They’re doing their homework as well . . . quality’s getting rewarded.” The strong start to Book 2 comes after a blockbuster Book 1, which finished with the average up 13 percent, the median up 16 percent, and the buyback rate improved to 21 percent, from 29 percent. Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Gun Runner, who led Book 1 stallions by both gross and average sales, continued his blockbuster week with the $1.9 million colt purchased late in the session by Spendthrift Farm and an unnamed partner. Baffert trained the colt’s dam, the stakes-placed Quality Road mare Ginja, in the name of his wife, Jill. They initially retained the mare to breed, selling her first foal, a filly by Baffert’s Triple Crown winner Justify, for $200,000 here last year. At that time, Ginja was back in foal to Gun Runner, after Baffert approached Goncalo Torrealba of Three Chimneys Farm, which co-campaigned and now stands Gun Runner. “I do it for Jill, for my wife,” Baffert said. “I asked Goncalo to do a foal share, because I really liked the mare. So I've got to thank Goncalo for doing the foal share and Hill ‘n’ Dale for raising him.” Hill ‘n’ Dale also handled consigning duties for the Bafferts on the sale grounds, and the colt proved popular. “All of a sudden, I was getting word that everybody liked him, but you never know,” Baffert said. “I was [thinking] maybe [$500,000] or something like that. It’s crazy. It hasn’t sunk in. Jill was very excited. She called me and said, ‘Is that for real?’ . . . Thanks to Spendthrift and everybody that bid on him. I’m very humbled by this moment, really, I just thank everybody involved. I’m at a loss for words, really.” The popularity of the colt was evident when Spendthrift had to fight to prevail for him. “We thought he was one of the best colts of the sale today,” Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey said after signing the ticket. “So, you know, what’s not to like, right? Really, really happy to get him, because it’s been a really tough market. There’s not really anybody really stealing much here. I’m just really happy to get him and hopefully he can run.” The Gun Runner colt will soon be bound for Ocala, where Spendthrift’s young horses get their early lessons with Raul Reyes. Their racetrack trainers will be determined next spring as they progress to breezing. Ginja is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-placed Top Decile, dam of Japanese champion Danon Decile. They also are half-sisters to Group 3-placed Taswaheen and to Sheila Tequila, dam of stakes winner Tequila Kiss. The Bafferts sold Ginja for $290,000 at last November’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall mixed sale, and she now resides in Japan. Still, she has given a Hall of Fame trainer a new accomplishment. “I bred Misremenbered who made a million dollars [racing], and now I can say I’ve sold one for a million dollars,” Baffert said. “Added to my resume.” Book 2 concludes with the Thursday session, after which the 12-session sale takes its lone dark day on Friday. The sale will then continue daily through Sept. 20, with Books 3, 4, 5A, and 5B. 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.