Two classic-connected yearlings brought Book 2 of the Keeneland September yearling sale to a close with solid figures Sunday night – and also brought North America’s bellwether yearling auction to the brink of surpassing last year's overall gross receipts only halfway through this renewal.
Led by a $1 million son of young classic sire Uncle Mo, Book 2 of the Keeneland September yearling sale opened with competitive action at the top of the market on Saturday.
The Keeneland September yearling sale's first two books, where major buyers vie for the jewels of the North American foal crop, will be in the books as of Sunday night. But there still will be 2,723 remaining yearlings cataloged to sell in Books 3 through 6, and the second week of the sale has often yielded diamonds in the rough for those willing to prospect for them.
A staggering number of high-ticket offerings propelled the revised Book 1 of the Keeneland September yearling sale to positive economic indicators as the marquee portion of the sale concluded Thursday night.
Keeneland has set the return edition of its April 2-year-olds in training sale for Tuesday, April 9. The sale will follow the opening weekend of Keeneland's spring race meet, which opens on Friday, April 5. An under-tack sale preview show will be conducted on Monday, April 8.
A final flurry of high-ticket offerings pushed the revised Book 1 of the Keeneland September yearling sale across the finish line on Thursday evening with positive economic indicators.
The third session of the Keeneland September yearling sale finished with a flurry of activity on Wednesday evening to move the auction's marquee Book 1 portion into line for a strong finish.
It's rare to find a breeder and consignor smiling after the most high-profile horse from their consignment is a high-ticket buyback.
Albaugh Family Stables faced some difficult decisions this week at the Keeneland September yearling sale in its continued pursuit of classic success.
At the halfway point of Keeneland September's marquee Book 1 section, War Front, who stands at Claiborne Farm, led all stallions by average sale price, checking in at $879,091.
