While forecasts for the middle market were mixed at best heading into the Keeneland September yearling sale, the auction’s Book 3 saw solid improvement across the measurables.
A Curlin colt sold for $350,000 to Katsumi Yoshida during Book 1 earned a unique distinction as the most expensive Louisiana-bred yearling ever.
In a business often built on generations-old relationships, it can be hard to be the new guy on the sale grounds. That notion has not swayed Zach Madden, 29, who consigned his first draft of offerings in a Keeneland September yearling sale on Monday under the shingle of Buckland Sales, a venture run in partnership with Millennium Farms.
A Curlin colt sold for $1 million last Friday to lead Keeneland September's Book 2 portion, with the book's second most expensive offering being a $750,000 Uncle Mo colt sold the following day. If some names on the catalog pages looked familiar, it's for good reason: The two colts share a family tree.
Brereton Jones had $4.9 million staring him in the face at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall selected mixed sale, and the former governor of Kentucky decided that he preferred having his mare, 2012 Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can, in the barn.
The sixth session of the Keeneland September yearling sale was a strong day of trade open Book 3 at its halfway point, posting double-digit gains across the board, led by a $700,000 Pioneerof the Nile colt.
Book 2 of the Keeneland September yearling sale closed on Saturday, putting a bow on a solid performance from that section of the catalog.
The catalog for the Barretts October sale of yearlings and horses of all ages is now online, featuring 292 horses on offer.
The opening session of Book 2 of the Keeneland September yearling sale carried over the momentum set by the auction’s opening select sessions, led by a $1-million Curlin colt.
How could anyone turn down a million dollars for a horse that is untested and untried, at least a year away from the races, and still facing all the potential pitfalls in getting the horse to the races, let alone winning?
