A coast-to-coast overview of the upcoming yearling sales
While Keeneland September yearling sale takes center stages, here is a look at other upcoming sales in North America where foals from the 2018 crop will be offered.
Mark SimonSep 05, 2019
While Keeneland September yearling sale takes center stages, here is a look at other upcoming sales in North America where foals from the 2018 crop will be offered.
The first yearlings by young Claiborne Farm stallion War Front walked into auction rings in 2009 – not fortuitous timing for a young stallion attempting to prove himself, as the commercial market was reeling from the recession that began the year before. But one decade later, War Front, who stood for $12,500 in that debut season, has climbed his way up from humble beginnings to become the most expensive stallion in North America.
Frosted turned in his signature performances on New York racetracks before coming home to Kentucky to begin his stud career. Now, after his first yearlings delivered a breakout performance at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected sale in New York, the young stallion comes to the Keeneland September marketplace with a strong hand for continued success.
The Keeneland September yearling sale, which this year has 4,644 yearlings in the catalog for the 13-session sale that runs from Sept. 9-22, is considered the bellwether for the market in North America, testing the market at all levels.
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Tour of Duty, a War Front colt out of the winning Medaglia d’Oro mare Sabbatical, was the first foal delivered in the first season of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s Foal Patrol project, and is cataloged at Keeneland September.
It’s typical for a young stallion to garner an outstanding book of mares in his first season as his stud farm and supporters look to get him off to a strong start. Then the quality and quantity of his book of mares may decrease somewhat in the ensuing few years, only picking up again later if the stallion’s first crops are a success on the racetrack. But 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, the hero the sport waited 27 years for, isn’t a typical case and the market has not responded in typical fashion.
There are more than 100 mares with yearlings cataloged in Keeneland September’s elite Book 1 portion who are Grade/Group 1 winners or producers – but only five who are both. Making up that exclusive club, in alphabetical order, are Appealing Zophie, Colina Verde, Dream of Summer, Dream Rush, and Rigoletta.
If she’s anything like her half-siblings, the yearling filly out of Leslie’s Lady will manage what is sure to be a busy period of showing on the sale grounds and fireworks in the auction ring with aplomb.
In an effort to take a degree of stress off young horses, a growing movement has emerged among consignors and buyers to scale back the number of endoscopic examinations a yearling undergoes, in some cases by making high-quality video of exams available for viewing by potential buyers. In advance of the September yearling sale – where time is of the essence for buyers, who may have hundreds of yearlings to inspect – Keeneland is encouraging consignors and veterinarians to utilize the video capabilities of its repository to upload and view endoscopies.
Following are horses to watch during the elite Book 1 portion of the Keeneland September yearling sale, which comprises the auction's first three sessions.