Racing prospect New York Central tops Wednesday session of the Keeneland November sale

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Graded stakes winner New York Central sold for $240,000 to Khalid bin Mishref, who has been an active buyer this week, to lead Wednesday's session of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale, which posted double-digit gains.

With New York Central leading a selection of male racing prospects and racing or stallion prospects highlighting the session, Keeneland reported 234 horses sold on Wednesday for revenues of $7,344,400. Last year's comparable eighth session of the sale overall finished with 239 horses sold for $5,253,600.

Wednesday's average price finished at $31,386, soaring 43 percent from $21,982 in the comparable session last year. The median rose 10 percent, to $16,500 from $15,000. The buyback rate was an outstanding 16 percent, also improved from 20 percent last year.

New York Central, a 4-year-old Tapit colt, raced for WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and SF Racing, and was consigned to Keeneland by WinStar. Under the tutelage of Steve Asmussen, the colt finished second in last year's Grade 3 Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard. This spring, he broke through for a graded stakes victory, winning the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint Stakes by 1 3/4 lengths.

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Mishref is a leading owner in Saudi Arabia. He has made major moves to expand his Thoroughbred holdings this fall, buying interests in Grade 1-winning 3-year-old Math Wizard and in Belmont Stakes and Dubai World Cup runner-up Gronkowski. Mishref has been active at Keeneland this week, purchasing four horses, including the session-leading 2-year-old Liam's Legend for $325,000 on Tuesday.

New York Central and Liam's Legend will both be exported to Saudi Arabia, with a possible target for New York Central the $1.5 million Dirt Sprint in February 2020 on the undercard of the inaugural $20 million Saudi Cup.

“Hopefully he will do well for us,” Mishref said. “He looks good as an individual. I love his conformation, and he’s filled out. Hopefully, the son of Tapit will do well. He could be a stallion prospect in Saudi Arabia down the road. Step by step, we’re going to try and promote the breeding in the long run.”

New York Central is out of the winning Forest Wildcat mare Fashion Cat, making him a half-brother to Grade 2 winner Corfu and to stakes placed Runway Ready. Fashion Cat is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Peace Rules.

The most accomplished horse on offer in the selection of racing and stallion prospects was multiple Grade 1 winner Annals of Time, who went for $190,000 to bloodstock agent Mike Ryan to rank as the third-highest price of the session overall. Ryan purchased the horse on behalf of his former co-owner, Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables, and he will be sent back to trainer Chad Brown for 2020.

Annals of Time was consigned to Keeneland November by Elite Sales, as agent, in order to dissolve a racing partnership between Klaravich and partner William Lawrence. Sending horses through the auction ring in such situations is common in order to establish a fair current market value on the horse, and it is not uncommon for one of the partners to go home with the horse.

Annals of Time, by Temple City, has not missed the board in eight career starts, including Grade 1 victories in last December’s Hollywood Derby and in this year’s Sword Dancer Stakes in his most recent outing.

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