LEXINGTON, Ky. – A well-related son of leading sire Into Mischief sold for $3 million on Tuesday as the Keeneland September yearling sale closed its elite Book 1 portion with a gain in average from last year's comparable sessions. The first two days of this 12-session sale made up Book 1, with the yearlings judged to be the sale's brightest prospects based on pedigree and conformation. Keeneland reported 221 yearlings sold over these two days for gross receipts of $116,925,000. In last year's two Book 1 sessions, which kicked off a sale that ultimately finished with record gross, average, and median figures, 220 horses sold for $113,660,000. These figures do not include horses who failed to meet their reserve in the ring and later sold privately, numbers Keeneland ultimately factors into its final results. Bidding was robust from start to finish in Tuesday's Book 1 finale, as the first horse through the ring and the penultimate horse through the ring nearly bookended the session with seven-figure sales. Over the last two days, a total of 23 yearlings changed hands for seven figures, compared to 22 in Book 1 last year. Last year's sale failed to meet the $3 million threshold, with the sale-topper selling for $2.5 million, and that was the only horse to break the $2 million mark. Three did so this week. When the dust settled, Book 1's average price was $529,072, ticking up 2 percent from $516,636 last year. "It seems like there's a very good vibe around the place, and a good appetite," said M.V. Magnier of the international Coolmore group. The median price, considered a key figure for market health because it is not as affected by those top prices as much as the average may be, did drop 11 percent, to $400,000 from $450,000 in Book 1 last year. "It was fair," Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy said of the market. "I think it was referred to, in many cases, as fair. There was some softness in some places, no doubt about that. . . . I think overall, we cannot be complaining too much. Obviously, there are some challenges, and we can't ignore those, but overall, I think it was very, very good." The buyback rate was 27 percent, compared to 22 percent last year. That may be partially a function of a select catalog, as breeders and owners of these elite horses may be in a better position to take on the risk and expense of retaining young stock to race if the market doesn't respond as desired to their offerings. "A lot of people don't have to sell, with racing, when you've got [strong] purse structures and people are enjoying it so much that they're happy to race," Lacy said. The $3 million Into Mischief colt was purchased by a three-pronged partnership. West Point Thoroughbreds and the Lane's End-related Woodford Racing, which have partnered on many standouts – including as part of the team with 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline – added another partner in Chuck Sonson. He has previously been involved in partnerships via West Point and began buying horses under his own name this summer. Ultimately, the West Point, Woodford, and Sonson trio bought four horses in Book 1 for a total of $5.95 million. "We have a partnership that is killer," said Sonson, who owns an aviation company. "We purchased six at Saratoga and we are looking to fill the barn up the rest of the way. . . . This is just the beginning, we hope." The colt was consigned by Lane's End, as agent for breeder Mike Repole, from a family the prominent owner has cultivated since he bought dam Nonna Mia as a yearling in 2008. The Empire Maker mare, a half-sister to graded stakes winner and sire Cairo Prince, was multiple graded stakes-placed as a juvenile, including a third in the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes. She is now the dam of three winners from four starters, led by Repole's Grade 1 Wood Memorial winner Outwork – now an exciting young stallion – and another stakes winner in Nonna's Boy. "Nonna Mia has been great – she was named for my grandmother," Repole said. "I thought she was gonna be my first Grade 1 winner in 2009. She's been special." Repole unveiled another star in the making from this family on Aug. 25 when Fierceness, out of Nonna Mia's winning daughter Nonna Bella, was an 11 1/4-length debut winner at Saratoga. His Beyer Speed Figure of 95 was the highest for a 2-year-old at the time; it is still tied for the third-best this season. "I was up at Saratoga when Fierceness ran . . . Just awestruck by that performance," West Point's Terry Finley said, adding that a racetrack trainer has yet to be determined for the colt. "It's a young family. Into Mischief, obviously, you don't have to say much. They're always in the right hands at Lane's End, so we knew a little bit about his upbringing. We're really excited to have new partners in on him, and we're ready to get going and try to get to the Derby in 2025." The book topper highlighted a smashing two days for Into Mischief, the nation's four-time reigning leading sire. The Spendthrift Farm resident was represented by 11 seven-figure yearlings and led the book by both gross and average sales, with a staggering average price of $900,323 for his 31 horses sold. "This was his best crop, and it's just amazing the result that we're seeing now out of it," Spendthrift's Mark Toothaker said. "What a sale for him." Second to Into Mischief by both gross and average sales was Uncle Mo, who sired four seven-figure yearlings, including Book 1's second-highest-priced horse, a $2.5 million filly that went to another new player on the scene, John Stewart. The owner made his first purchases at the 2022 Keeneland September sale and in Book 1 this week bought 10 yearlings for $7.75 million. "We've had an incredible, incredible sale," said bloodstock agent Gavin O'Connor, who purchased the high-ticket Uncle Mo filly while on the phone with Stewart. "We've got a really exciting stable of horses to go forward with." The filly is out of the winning Congrats mare Starship Warpspeed, dam of five winners from as many starters, led by Grade 1 winner Shedaresthedevil and Grade 3-placed Mojovation. Shedaresthedevil won eight graded stakes, highlighted by the 2020 Kentucky Oaks, and earned more than $2.7 million. This filly was consigned by Denali Stud, as agent for WinStar Farm. O'Connor was familiar with the family, as he spent five years working at WinStar. "I've had babies out of the mare – she's just an unbelievable broodmare," O'Connor said. "They've got a full brother in training, and he looks really promising as well." The Keeneland September sale will now move on with a two-session Book 2 followed by a dark day on Friday. The sale will then continue through Sept. 23, with two sessions each in Books 3, 4, 5, and 6. This follows the same format as the past two editions of the sale, with a consistent format credited for market stability. A strong upper market is expected to continue in Book 2, with many of the same industry-leading buyers set to remain in Lexington this week. "There's a lot of very big buyers that haven't bought anything yet," Lacy said. However, buyers and consignors over the past two days have noted a selective marketplace and have expressed some questions about the upcoming middle and lower markets. "I don't think [the market is] soft by any stretch of the imagination, but I do think about the people and the buyers and sellers in the middle of the market and at the end of the market at the end of the sale," Finley said. "That's obviously to be determined. But it sure seems like it's very, very solid these first couple of days." 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.