The new catalog format of the Keeneland September yearling sale, which expanded the selected portion from one boutique day to four sessions, did not diminish bidders’ fervor toward buying quality horses, as four seven-figure yearlings went through the ring during Monday’s opening session.
Horses to watch on the second day of the Keeneland September yearling sale.
Nat Rea, a new face at the top levels of the bloodstock market this year, continued his activity during Monday’s opening session of the Keeneland September yearling sale, with the early purchases for his Regis Farms highlighted by a $1.1 million son of late sire Unbridled’s Song.
Prominent sire Malibu Moon recorded the first seven-figure yearling of his career during Monday’s opening session of the Keeneland September yearling sale when a filly out of multiple Grade 1 winner Hollywood Story sold for $1.35 million to Northwest Stud.
A War Front colt capitalized on the recent catalog updates provided by older relative Departing, selling for $1 million to Coolmore-affiliated M.V. Magnier during Monday’s opening session of the Keeneland September yearling sale.
A Medaglia d'Oro filly from the family of multiple Grade 1 winner Verrazano became the first horse to reach seven figures during Monday's opening session of the Keeneland September yearling sale, as Alan Cooper signed the ticket at $1.5 million on behalf of the Niarchos family's Flaxman Stables Ireland, Limited.
The yearling market will get its most substantial test of the year this month, when Keeneland offers a 3,908-horse catalog at its September yearling sale Sept. 9-21. Solid performances at several key, but smaller, select and regional auctions have made auction officials and consignors generally confident that the reformatted 2013 September sale will perform well – and could even improve over last year’s large gains in average and median.
Horses to watch in the opening sessions of the 2013 Keeneland September yearling sale.
A solid group of first-crop sires will be represented by yearlings at the Keeneland September sale, featuring several stallions that have a good chance to carve out productive careers based on their racing accomplishments, pedigrees, and opportunity at stud thus far.
Record figures were reached at each of the three Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. juvenile sales, and most major North American 2-year-old auctions posted steady-to-spectacular gains, especially in average sale prices. Now, as the auction calendar rolls into the Keeneland September yearling sale, the pinhooking market that drives the juvenile season must once again restock for next year’s sales.
