LEXINGTON, Ky.– Topped by a $430,000 Empire Maker colt, Saturday’s fifth session at the Keeneland September yearling sale posted large across-the-board increases over last year’s Saturday session.

The session sold 296 yearlings for $25,791,000, a 25-percent increase over last year’s total for 280 horses. Average climbed 18 percent, from $73,620 to $87,132, and median improved by 37 percent, from $51,000 a year ago to $70,000. the buyback rate also fell from 24 percent at last year’s Saturday session to 21 percent this season.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – As it prepared to enter its second week Saturday, Keeneland’s September yearling sale could look back on some comforting figures from Week 1. The 11-day auction, which has a 20 percent smaller catalog and cut back its select sessions from two to one this year, ended its first week Thursday with more million-dollar yearlings, a higher average, and a median equal to last year’s. That was with scant participation from 2011’s upper-market kingpins, Darley owner Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum and Besilu Stables principal Benjamin Leon Jr.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Thoroughbred breeding activity declined in 2011, continuing a recent trend that has led to smaller foal crops, according to statistics The Jockey Club released Friday.

The breed registry reported that, according to breeding-related paperwork filed through Sept. 10 of this year, 2,620 stallions covered 39,838 mares in 2011, resulting in the birth of 22,500 live foals of 2012 reported so far to The Jockey Club by their breeders.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Japanese-based breeder Nagako Fujita gave the 2012 Keeneland September yearling sale its seventh millionaire – and consignor Peter O’Callaghan his first –Thursday when her Empire Maker colt out of Lu Ravi sold to Japan’s Big Red Farm, home of I’ll Have Another, for $1.1 million.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Keeneland’s September yearling sale approached the end of its Book 2 sessions Thursday with momentum that appeared likely to carry it to a fourth consecutive day of gains.

At 4 p.m. Eastern, a $750,000 Giant’s Causeway colt led Thursday’s session on a final bid from Todd Pletcher, who signed as agent for a partnership. Four Star Sales, agent, sold the April 2 foal. The bay son of Good Vibes, by Unbridled’s Song, is a half-brother to group-placed Warning Flag, now a stakes winner in Hong Kong running under the name Sweet Orange.

A Giant’s Causeway colt out of an Unbridled’s Song mare who sold for $750,000 was the early session-topper at the Keeneland September yearling sale on Thursday, the final day of selling yearlings out of the sale’s second book.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Led by a $1.55 million Bernardini colt that Coolmore bought, the Keeneland September sale’s third session (the second session of auction’s four-day Book 2 segment) rang up across-the-board gains.

The Wednesday session ended with 196 yearlings bringing $34,573,000, a five-percent increase over the total for 215 yearlings at last year’s Wednesday session. Average climbed 16 percent, from $152,649 to $176,393, and median also increased by double digits, rising 12 percent from last season’s $130,000 to $145,000 on Wednesday.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Catherine Parke’s 10-horse Keeneland September consignment produced a millionaire Wednesday at the second Book 2 session when Coolmore went to $1.55 million for a Bernardini-Wilshewed colt from her Valkyre Stud agency.

Bruce McMillin isn’t a full-time horse breeder, but you wouldn’t have known it by looking at the Tapit colt he sold for $700,000 to top Tuesday’s session.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The average price for a yearling at the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society’s annual yearling and mixed sale rose by close to 10 percent over last year. The sale was held at the Thunderbird Show Park in Langley on Tuesday and the average price for the 80 yearlings sold was $16,696.

The total of $1,335,700 was 25 percent higher than the $1,063,800 70 yearlings brought in 2011.