Mineshaft colt brings $85K to lead Keeneland session

A colt by Mineshaft out of the Forty Niner mare Date Stone was the highest-priced horse sold during the 11th session of the 14-day Keeneland September sale by late afternoon.

The colt, whose dam has produced six winners from 10 foals, was purchased by Jerry Romans for $85,000 out of the consignment of Gainesway, as agent. Date Stone’s progeny include Deputy Warlock, a stakes winner.

Through late afternoon, Keeneland had sold 150 horses for $1,955,500, for an average price of $13,037 and a median of $9,000. Although those numbers were roughly half of the comparable figures for the 10th session on Wednesday, they still represented significant increases over the comparable figures for the eleventh session last year, when the average was $10,224 and median was $7,000. Keeneland’s 2009 sales figures dropped steeply from the 2008 sale.

On Wednesday, 275 horses were sold during the session for a gross of $6,921,900, an average of $25,171, and median of $19,000, far stronger numbers than those established by the comparable session last year. For the tenth session in 2009, average was $19,296 and median was $13,000.