Unbridled's Song colt tops sale's Day 9

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Racehorse buyers and the yearling-to-juvenile resellers called pinhookers were dominant Wednesday at the ninth session of Keeneland's 14-day September yearling sale.

Baccari Bloodstock client Benjamin Leon of BesiLu Collection in Florida, a relatively new Thoroughbred buyer, picked up Wednesday's highest-priced yearling for $185,000. That was for Hip No. 3,176, an Unbridled's Song colt out of Overbrook Farm's two-time graded winner Katz Me If You Can. A Storm Cat mare, she already has produced two winners in This Cat Can Dance, by Vindication, and Unkatzable, by A. P. Indy.

Eaton Sales consigned the colt as agent for Overbrook, which is holding a complete dispersal this year.

The day's top-priced filly was a $170,000 Dixie Union-Nicarola Catrola filly that agent Mike Shannon bought from Taylor Made Sales, agent.

The Wednesday session continued the daily declines seen throughout the auction. The session sold 281 horses for $7,564,100, down 26 percent, for an average price of $26, 919 and an $18,000 median. The average and median prices were down 30 percent and 40 percent, respectively. Last year's ninth session sold 266 horses for $10,244,800, yielding a $38,514 average and a $30,000 median price. For the second straight day, buy-backs improved, falling from last season's 25 percent to 19 percent in 2009.

Tuesday's eighth session ended with 274 yearlings sold for $9,744,700, down 31 percent from last year's eighth session. The session average of $35,565 was off by 32 percent, and the $25,000 median was down 38 percent. But buy-backs improved, dropping from last year's figure of 28 percent to 25 percent this year.

Tuesday's session-topper was a $260,000 Giant's Causeway colt out of the multiple graded winner and millionaire Smok'n Frolic. All the Rage Partners bought the bay colt from Adena Springs.

The sale was to continue through Sept. 28 at the Keeneland sale pavilion. Sessions begin daily at 10 a.m.