LEXINGTON, Ky. – Keeneland’s April selected horses of racing age sale is set for Friday evening after the closing-day card of the spring meet. It will be held at the sales pavilion just a stone’s throw from the track, where many of the 37 horses cataloged, as of Tuesday afternoon, have been successful over the past few weeks. Positioned before the major summer meets, the April sale, which is set to begin at 6:30 p.m., has become a prominent source for productive stock. Graduates of the last three editions include Spirit of St Louis, purchased for $280,000 in 2023 before developing into a multiple Grade 1 winner; Dana’s Beauty, who co-topped the sale at $450,000 in 2024 and went on to win five stakes for her new ownership; and Masmak, winner of this year’s Group 3 Jebel Ali Mile, who was purchased for $375,000 last year. “The April sale really captures the momentum of spring racing at its peak,” said Tony Lacy, Keeneland’s vice president of sales. “Because it’s held on closing day of the spring meet, which concludes just days before the Kentucky Derby, it capitalizes on a moment when the energy and the audience are at their apex at Keeneland. That setting helps create a dynamic live auction atmosphere for people looking for race-ready horses.” Often, horses run their way into contention during the Keeneland meet or with strong performances at other venues. To allow sellers to remain flexible with stock that may suddenly increase in value, the catalog for the April sale is dynamic. Supplements will continue to be reviewed and accepted until Friday’s auction. In prior editions, horses that raced in the final days of the meet have been wheeled back into the sales pavilion. :: Keeneland Spring Meet! Get DRF Past Performances, picks, news, and more. Included in the current supplements to the catalog is 3-year-old Trendsetter, who scored a breakthrough victory in the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes last Saturday at Keeneland for Midway Racing and trainer Ben Colebrook, who will consign the gelding. He was a $130,000 purchase at last year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s spring sale of 2-year-olds in training. “Trendsetter is exactly the kind of horse the April sale was designed for,” Lacy said. “It’s a timely marketplace where a horse can move straight from a performance like his into a live auction environment, putting him in front of the sport’s top domestic and international buyers looking to strengthen their stables for the summer and beyond. That immediacy is what makes this sale so dynamic.” Others in the catalog coming off wins at this meet are Queen Azteca, winner of the Group 3 UAE Oaks in 2025 and winner of a Keeneland allowance on April 17 with a career-high 86 Beyer Speed Figure; General Graham, who won an April 8 first-level allowance at Keeneland; Sweet Scorecard, an April 9 allowance winner; and Rose Ruler, who won a maiden race in his turf debut April 15. General Graham has won his only two career starts, and this sale provides plenty of opportunities to acquire lightly raced horses or fairly blank slates. There are three unraced horses in the catalog, while a pair of 2-year-olds on offer debuted at this meet. Lack of Riesling finished second in a maiden race April 15, while Peak Perspective was third in that race. The average number of starts for the cataloged horses is six. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.