While this year's renewal of the Keeneland January sale lacked star power, the sale concluded with figures that compared well, in context, with other recent editions of the sale.
Ontario-bred Electricita, a filly from one of the cornerstone families of one of Canada’s most historic breeding operations, sold for $180,000 to lead Thursday’s penultimate session of the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale.
The Keeneland January horses of all ages sale moved into its Book 2 portion on Wednesday with continued demand for quality offerings. A colt by Uncle Mo sold for $400,000 to become the highest priced of the newly turned yearlings at the sale overall, as Wednesday’s session posted across the board gains.
The restraint at the upper end of the market waned as the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale moved into the final half-hour of its Book 1 portion, with competition heating up for a number of quality mares offered at the end of the day as supplemental entries to the original catalog. When the dust settled the leaderboard was topped by Grade 1-placed broodmare prospect Enaya Alrabb, sold for $640,000; the young broodmare prospect Confidently for $560,000; Inflamed, the dam of Eclipse Award finalist Mo Forza, sold for $525,000; and multiple graded stakes winner Pomeroys Pistol, dam of Kentucky Derby hopeful Thousand Words, at $475,000. All except for Confidently emerged from the supplemental catalog.
While a softer upper market led to declines in the figures during the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale’s opening session on Monday, five horses sold for prices in excess of $300,000 to lead a relatively solid middle market.
The Keeneland January horses of all ages sale may be the first major-market North American sale of 2020 – but in reality, it actually comes toward the end of the season. Breeding stock sales began in November, and with breeding sheds opening in February, this is the penultimate opportunity to acquire a broodmare at public auction in Kentucky before then.
A 2-year-old filly by Declaration of War was purchased for $60,000 at Tuesday’s January mixed sale in Pomona, Calif., making her the most expensive horse of a sale. The sale ended with a higher gross and average compared to the corresponding event in 2019.
Fresh off earning the distinction as the leading freshman sire in North America for 2019, Triple Crown winner American Pharoah's first Southern Hemisphere yearlings will be offered at the Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling sale beginning this week.
California’s only annual mixed sale will be held on Tuesday at Fairplex in Pomona, the second consecutive year the event has been conducted by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association.
Multiple stakes winner O Dionysus is headed for a career over hurdles after selling for $135,000 to Irv Naylor at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic winter mixed sale.
