Keeneland total shows gains

The Keeneland January all-ages sale's next-to-last session on Saturday eked out a small gain in average price but saw declines in gross and median. But cumulative numbers showed gains overall from last year.

Agent Mike Ryan purchased the session-topper, a $220,000 yearling colt by Saint Liam out of the stakes-producing Kingmambo mare Golf Girl. The colt is a half-brother to stakes winner Stoneway. James Keogh's Grovendale agency consigned the bay colt.

The session, the sixth of seven at this year's all-ages auction, sold 195 horses for $2,749,500, down 26 percent from the gross on last year's equivalent day, when 265 horses brought $3,714,200. The average price climbed slightly, from last year's $14,016 to $14,100, but the median slid $500, from $7,000 last year to $6,500 Saturday. Buy-backs for the session edged up to 23 percent from last season's figure of 21 percent.

Through Saturday, the auction's first six sessions sold 1,340 horses for $69,428,200, up from last year's gross of $69,099,800 for 1,466 horses. The cumulative average of $51,812 was up 10 percent, and the $20,000 median was level with last year's six-day figure. Buy-backs were up from 21 percent to 24 percent.

The Keeneland January sale was to run through Sunday, with the final session due to start at 10 a.m. in the Keeneland sale pavilion. The 2008 January sale is one session shorter than last year's, which covered eight days.