LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Keeneland September yearling sale, considered the bellwether for the market in North America, opened its two-week run on Monday with fireworks at the zenith. Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum's international Godolphin operation stretched beyond the $2 million threshold for a pair of colts with close connections to its stallions, helping to fuel solid average figures as the opening session also posted a significantly improved buyback rate. Monday's session, the first of three in the elite Book 1 portion, and the first of 13 overall in the sale, finished with 107 yearlings sold for gross receipts of $46,231,000. Those were led by a $2.5 million Tapit colt and a $2.15 million Medaglia d'Oro colt, both sold to Godolphin, with bloodstock agent Anthony Stroud signing the tickets for Sheikh Mohammed, who was in attendance at the auction for the second consecutive year. This year, Keeneland has again tweaked the format of its top-market portions in Books 1 and 2. Book 1 now encompasses the auction’s first three days – compared to four sessions last year – with a total of 569 hips cataloged, compared to four sessions with 989 cataloged in 2018. The size of the Book 2 catalog is 730 horses compared to 826 last year. Because of the changes, year-to-year session-to-session comparisons for some figures, notably gross receipts, will not be applicable. However, Monday's average sale price, $432,065, compared favorably to similar segments of the market last year. The 2018 Book 1 opener recorded an average price of $352,319, while its cumulative Book 1 average was $363,780. Monday's median price was $325,000, compared to $260,000 in the 2018 opener and the Book 1 final figure of $300,000. The upper market was extremely competitive during Monday's session, with two horses sold for prices in excess of $2 million, compared to one last year; seven sold for seven figures, compared to five in the 2018 opener; and an additional 11 yearlings sold for prices between $700,000 and $950,000, compared to 10. But while the top was strong, horses sold well throughout the day at a number of price points in what has been a selective market. Monday's buyback rate finished at 29 percent, compared to 35 percent in the 2018 Book 1 opener. "It was incredible," Bob Elliston, Keeneland’s vice president of racing and sales, said of Monday's trade. "It's kind of hard to do comparisons. ... I think probably we'll have to get through five sessions before we get close to comparative numbers that make sense. "The number I'm most proud of today was the RNA rate," Elliston said. "I think that represents incredible trade, a deep buying bench who were active. A lot of folks were in here trying to get these horses bought, and you had multiple bidders on particular top ones. Obviously, Sheikh Mohammed carried a bunch of the water today. What a tremendous supporter he is of Keeneland. We couldn't be more proud of that." Godolphin's new Tapit colt is a half-brother to Kentucky Derby winner and champion Nyquist. He was consigned by his breeder, Hinkle Farms. The Tapit colt is out of the winning Louisiana-bred mare Seeking Gabrielle, whom Hinkle Farms purchased for $100,000 at the 2013 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. The Forestry mare is now the dam of three winners from as many starters, led by Nyquist, who won the first eight starts of his career. That span included seven graded stakes, highlighted by the 2015 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and 2016 Kentucky Derby. He also finished third in the Preakness Stakes. Nyquist is now standing for Sheikh Mohammed's international stallion operation in Kentucky, and his first foals are yearlings. He came in to the Keeneland September yearling sale averaging $232,813 from 16 yearlings sold to date, and had three yearlings sold during Monday's opening session for an average of $360,000. Godolphin has additional familiarity with this family after purchasing Seeking Gabrielle's yearling filly by War Front for $1.75 million at this sale last year. She was one of 27 yearlings purchased by Godolphin for a total of $19,960,000 at last year's renewal, leading all buyers by gross as Sheikh Mohammed attended the sale for the first time in several years. "She's doing very well," Anthony Stroud said of the filly, now named Maria Rosa. "[The Tapit colt yearling] was a very nice horse, and Sheikh Mohammed liked him very, very much. He was his pick of the day, and that was really it. It's a fantastic pedigree, and a good physical, and he's a good prospect. [Sheikh Mohammed has] been very impressed with the Nyquist yearlings, as well, so that's also one of the factors." Seeking Gabrielle is out of Grade 2 winner Seeking Regina, the dam of Grade 3 winner Seeking the Sky, Grade 1-placed Seeking It All, Grade 2-placed Seeking the Money, and stakes-placed Seeking the Glory. Seeking the Sky is also a prominent producer, as the dam of Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap winner Sahara Sky and stakes winner Animal Style. Later in the session, Godolphin went to $2.15 million for a colt by another of its Kentucky stallions, Medaglia d'Oro. "It looks pretty solid, the market," Stroud said. "I think to buy a nice horse is always going to [be expensive], especially with possible stallions. It represents what the market dictates, which is what happens here." The colt is the first foal out of the Grade 1-winning Unbridled's Song mare Tara's Tango. He was consigned by Denali Stud as agent for Stonestreet Farm, which bred and raced the mare. Tara's Tango, who is out of the stakes-placed French Deputy mare Scarlet Tango, is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Visionaire. Scarlet Tango also produced Grade 3 winner Scarlet Strike, who was also multiple Grade 1-placed, and Grade 3 winner Madison's Luna. Denali and Stonestreet also teamed to sell Scarlet Tango's yearling Curlin colt on Monday, going for $800,000 to bloodstock agent Mike Ryan. Medaglia d'Oro and Tapit were also each represented by a $1.5 million colt later in the session, both full brothers to Grade 1 winners, to help them finish as the session leaders by both gross and average. Medaglia d'Oro had seven yearlings sold for $6,225,000, an average of $889,286. Tapit, who stands at Gainesway, also had seven sold, for $6,025,000, averaging $860,714. Medaglia d'Oro's $1.5 million colt, already named Golden Whim, is out of the unraced Distorted Humor mare Weekend Whim, making him a full brother to multiple Grade 1 winner New Money Honey, as well as a half to stakes-placed Coconut Shrimp. The colt, who is also from the immediate family of Grade 1 winner Any Given Saturday, was purchased by the partnership of Coolmore's M.V. Magnier, Mike Repole, and the Viola family from the consignment of Lane's End, as agent. Tapit's $1.5 million colt, purchased by Yugi Hasegawa of Japan, is out of Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic winner Unrivaled Belle, making him a full brother to two-time Eclipse Award champion Unique Bella. He was bred by Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm, and was consigned as agent by Timber Town Farm, where Pope boards her high-profile broodmare band. In addition to selling the session topper, the Hinkle family sold another colt by another classic sire, Curlin, to Shadwell Farm for $1.05 million. The Curlin colt is out of a half-sister to this summer's Grade 1 Pacific Classic winner Higher Power, as well as to Grade 2 winner, millionaire, and sire Alternation. "This is the culmination of two years of work, and it all happens in about 30 seconds," the farm's co-owner Anne Archer Hinkle said. "We get so nervous! But we're really happy. We have a wonderful team at the farm, and this is a testament to their hard work." Monday's other seven-figure yearlings – four of those coming in the final 20 hips of the session to help the day close out strongly – were both by the late sire Pioneerof the Nile and bred on crosses that have been successful with his lines. A colt out of Uptown Twirl, a half-sister to Pioneerof the Nile's champion Classic Empire, sold for $1.05 million to bloodstock agent Ben McElroy. That came on the heels of a colt from the Lane's End consignment selling for $1 million to Magnier and White Birch Farm; he is a half-brother to Group 1-placed Monarch of Egypt, by Pioneerof the Nile's Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. While the buyback rate was improved, several notably pedigreed yearlings did return to their original owners. The highest-profile buyback was a half-brother to Triple Crown winner Justify, who drew a high bid of $950,000. The Pioneerof the Nile colt will be retained by breeder Glennwood Farm – as was also the case last year, when a Will Take Charge half-brother to Justify was a $1.75 million buyback. He is now at a training center preparing to race in the farm's colors. "I just felt that, if he's gonna sell around that price, I'd be just as happy to race him," Glennwood's John Gunther said. "I think a lot of people compare this colt to Justify, Justify being a much larger individual as a yearling. [Pioneerof the Nile] throws a fairly big horse, as well. This horse is very athletic - he's got a great mind and a lot of class about him. But he's a little bit on the smaller side, and I think that turned a lot of the big buyers away." For hip-by-hip results from the session, click here. Keeneland September continues with the remaining Book 1 sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday.