Missvinski's $400,000 tops Keeneland session

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Stakes-winning broodmare prospect Missvinski sold for $400,000 as the only six-figure horse Thursday at the Keeneland January all-ages sale here.

Missvinski's high price did little to offset another day of declines. The fourth of five sessions ended late Thursday afternoon with 199 horses grossing $2,245,300, a total that was 35 percent lower than the gross for the equivalent day last year, when substantially more horses - 239 - sold from a larger overall catalog. Thursday's $11,283 average price also slumped, dropping 22 percent, and the $5,000 median was down by 38 percent. Buy-backs for the session also rose significantly from last year's 19 percent to 27 percent in 2010.

Numerous horses sold for four-figure bids, and many did not even elicit a bid.

Through Thursday, the cumulative gross of $22,799,200 was running 21 percent lower than last year, and the $27,940 average and $10,000 median were down 15 percent and 33 percent, respectively. Buy-backs climbed from 23 percent last season to 26 percent.

Coolmore employee Aisling Duignan signed for session-topping Missvinski. A 6-year-old Stravinsky mare, she is Group 1-placed in France and was consigned by Michael C. Byrne. Missvinski is out of the Brocco mare Miss U Fran.

The day's second-highest price was the $55,000 that Raut LLC paid for the 4-year-old racing or stallion prospect Close Alliance. The Gone West colt sold through the Mill Ridge Sales agency.

The sale was to conclude Friday. The final session was to start at 10 a.m. in the Keeneland sale pavilion.