Keeneland September sale Book 4 opens with $210,000 Ghostzapper filly as topper

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A $210,000 Ghostzapper filly led the way at Sunday's session of the Keeneland September yearling sale as the Book 4 portion opened with some encouraging figures.

Keeneland reported 237 horses sold in Sunday's session for a gross of $11,516,500. The average price for the session was $43,598. In keeping with the trends of this sale, as the market adjusts to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, that average was a decline from $55,929 in the comparable Book 4 opener of the 2019 auction. However, the median price held steady at $40,000.

The buyback rate in what has become an increasingly selective marketplace finished at a solid 26 percent. That is not only in line with this market segment a year ago, as 2019's Book 4 opener posted a 25 percent rate, it marked an continued improvement for this sale overall. Last week's Book 1 portion of the sale finished with a 40 percent buyback rate; by the time the sale concluded Book 3 on Saturday night, the cumulative rate was 34 percent.

The session-leading Ghostzapper filly was purchased by C.J. Thoroughbreds out of the consignment of Woods Edge Farm, as agent. The filly is out of the Outflanker mare Saxet Heights, a three-time stakes winner at Charles Town who also finished second in the Maryland Million Oaks and was twice on the board in the Maryland Million Distaff. She is the dam of three winners from four starters to date, including stakes-placed Wolverette.

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