Sale rebounds on foreign buyers

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Keeneland's November mixed auction entered its eighth day Monday off of mixed weekend results that saw increased foreign buying and high prices for highly select horses.

"The market is feast or famine," said Brereton C. Jones Jr., owner of Airdrie Stud and a buyer and consignor on Monday. "If you've got just what people want, you'll get more than you thought you would. If you don't have just what people want, you might get nothing."

The top price Monday at 5 p.m. was the $220,000 broodmare Reinfree, a 10-year-old daughter of Unbridled that WinStar Farm purchased from Adena Springs (Hidden Brook, agent). The mare is a three-quarter-sister to Quiet American. Reinfree, the dam of stakes-placed Stravinsky's Gal, was cataloged in foal to Orientate.

At its Sunday session, the two-week Keeneland November sale posted double-digit gains across the board, reversing an earlier trend of declines.

The Sunday session sold 257 horses for $13,819,200, up 19 percent from last year, when the same number sold. Average price increased 19 percent, too, from $45,055 to $53,771, and median rose by 14 percent.

The day's top price was $285,000 for the stakes-placed Dixieland Band mare Tally Ho Dixie consigned by Lantern Hill Farm, agent. The mare sold in foal to Grand Slam, and Taylor Made, as agent, purchased her. Through Sunday, the seven-day cumulative figures were mostly up, with 1,629 horses sold for $302,303,900, an 8 percent increase from the gross at the same point last year, when 1,664 horses sold. The seven-day average of $185,576 also was up, by 10 percent. Median remained level with last year's seven-day figure of $87,000.

The stronger Sunday session followed declines across the board on Saturday. That session rang up a $17,038,200 for 251 horses, down 17 percent. Average also fell 10 percent to $67,881, and median dropped by 12 percent to $53,000.

Saturday's top price was $410,000 for the stakes-producing Pulpit mare Sly Butterfly, who was carrying a Macho Uno foal. Stonerside Stable bought her from Adena Springs (Hidden Brook, agent).

Domestic buyers like Stonerside were still active throughout the market, but increasingly the names on the receipts early in the auction's second week were South American, Korean, and Filipino - a result both of the weak dollar and Keeneland's courting of foreign buyers for the middle and lower market.

The Keeneland November sale was to continue through Nov. 19. Sessions open daily at 10 a.m. in Keeneland's sale pavilion in Lexington.