Weanlings give Thursday session a lift at Keeneland

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Weanlings were in demand Thursday at Keeneland's two-week November auction, a bright spot in a session that posted losses across the board.

Thursday’s fourth session grossed $16,808,900 for 263 horses. The gross was down 18 percent despite the fact that the session sold more horses than last year, when 244 brought $20,399,700. Average price also declined by 24 percent, from $83,605 to $63,912, and median dropped 25 percent, from $60,000 to $45,000. Session buybacks climbed, from 19 percent last year to 26 percent.

Cumulatively, the auction so far has sold 843 horses for $108,403,000, down 9 percent as compared to last year at the same point, when 791 horses had sold. At the end of trading Thursday, the four-day average price stood 14 percent lower than last year, $128,592 as compared to $150,296 in 2009. And median was down by 19 percent, falling to $77,000 from $95,000. Buybacks edged up, from 20 percent to 23 percent.

The $370,000 Cozzene mare Conchita was the session-topping horse. A 5-year-old Cozzene mare, she was in foal to More Than Ready and sold to Peter Blum from Mr. and Mrs. Jody Huckabay’s Elm Tree Farm agency. She is a half-sister to Group 1 winner White Moonstone.

Elm Tree Farm and the Gainesway consignment both enjoyed multiple sales above $200,000 Thursday, primarily with weanlings.

Weanlings commanded six of the session's top 10 prices. Elm Tree’s Candy Ride full sister to Grade 1 winner El Brujo was the session’s top-priced weanling on a $320,000 bid from Australia’s Waratah Thoroughbreds. Elm Tree also sold a $210,000 Tale of the Cat-Biblical Point weanling colt that Westrock Stables purchased; Westrock also snapped up a $300,000 colt by Rock Hard Ten out of the Fusaichi Pegasus mare Regard that Denali Stud consigned for Berkshire Stud.

Gainesway consigned four horses that sold for $200,000 or more. Two of its Tapit weanlings, a colt out of Rhumb Line and a filly out of Slammingpartygirl, went to agent Ben Glass for $260,000 and $210,000, respectively. Gainesway also sold a pair of horses to Jim Wells, the broodmare Mykindasaint, in foal to Corinthian, and her weanling colt by Corinthian, both for $260,000.

Thirteen horses, eight of them weanlings, brought $200,000 or more at the session.

The auction continues through Nov. 20 with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.