Medaglia d’Oro colt sells for $875,000 at Keeneland

The bellwether Keeneland September yearling sale kicked off its 12-day run on Monday with solid, if not spectacular, returns in the early hours of the opening session.

As of press time, 77 yearlings had gone through the ring in about three hours, with 52 sold for a total of $15,335,000. The average price at that point was $294,904, with a median of $250,000. Last year’s opening session finished with 120 yearlings sold for $33,165,000, an average of $276,375 and a median of $245,000.

The sale was led early by a Medaglia d’Oro colt who sold to John Ferguson, representing Godolphin, for $875,000. The colt, consigned by Mill Ridge Sales as agent, is out of the Grade 2-winning Afleet Alex mare Afleeting Lady, a half-sister to classic winner Shackleford and Grade 1 winner Lady Joanne.

The sale runs through Sept. 26, with the three Book 1 sessions kicking off the sale prior to a dark day this Thursday. Book 1 is being conducted in a condensed format this year after being held over four sessions in 2014. Following the dark day, Book 2 continues the sale Friday and Saturday, and Books 3 through 6 round out the sale next week. The catalog is made up of 4,164 yearlings, almost identical in size to last year’s catalog of 4,181.

Last year’s Keeneland September sale displayed a solid, steady marketplace, with 2,819 yearlings selling over 13 sessions for a combined $279,960,500, down 0.2 percent from the 2013 sale. The average sale price declined 3 percent to $99,312, still fifth-best in the auction’s history, while the median tied the record of $50,000 established during the 2013 renewal. Last year, 13 horses sold for seven-figure prices, compared with 18 in 2013.