Keeneland tweaks September sale format

The Keeneland September yearling sale will feature a slightly different format in 2015, with a shorter Book 1 and an earlier break in the schedule.

This year’s renewal will open with a three-day Book 1 from Monday through Wednesday, Sept. 14-16, one day fewer than the 2014 sale. The auction’s traditional “dark day,” when no sales are conducted, will move up to Thursday, Sept. 17, after normally being held on the sale’s first Friday.

Book 2 will be held Friday and Saturday, Sept. 18-19, with the rest of the sale following daily through Sept. 26. Horses in the second book will be available for inspection beginning Sept. 16.

“We’ve listened to our consignors and buyers, who prefer a tighter Book 1, offering more horses each day over fewer days and starting earlier,” Keeneland director of sales Geoffrey Russell said. “They also want a more immediate, smoother transition to Book 2 horses. This change affords buyers the opportunity to inspect a greater number of horses during Week 1.”

The stabling format will return to a traditional barn rotation, with Book 1 horses in Barns 1-24 and Book 2 horses in Barns 25-49.

Sessions for Book 1 of the Keeneland September sale will begin an hour earlier than previous renewals at 11 a.m. Eastern. All other sessions will begin at 10 a.m.