LEXINGTON – A colt by Bernardini caught the international eye of Coolmore Stud on Wednesday at the Keeneland September yearling sale, and the result was an outsized payout for the colt’s breeder, the California-based trainer Bill Currin and his wife, Betty.

Represented by Demi O’Byrne, Coolmore paid $1.55 million for the bay colt, the second-highest price paid so far during the Keeneland September sale, which started on Monday night. The colt was bought out of the sale’s second book, when pedigree and conformation standards are not as rigorous as the first book.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- A $700,000 Tapit colt lit up the board late in the session Tuesday to top the Keeneland September yearling auction’s second -- and first non-select -- day.

The gray April 14 foal, sold to Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables as Hip No. 402 in Gainesway’s consignment. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Bodemeister’s dam, the young Storm Cat mare Untouched Talent, added another feather to her cap Monday when her yearling Smart Strike filly brought $1.3 million from John Sikura and Bruce Lunsford.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – After a select session that produced five millionaire yearlings, Keeneland’s September yearling auction launched its three-day Book 2 section Tuesday in a more conservative market that had yet to threaten the million-dollar mark by 4 p.m.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The Keeneland September yearling auction’s only select session delivered five million-dollar yearlings and launched the 11-day sale on an upward trend as average and median outpaced last year’s figures.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – A $26,000 colt by first-year sire Giant Gizmo topped the open session of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society’s yearling sale at the Woodbine sales pavilion Saturday. Bob Tiller, acting as agent for Rolph Davis, purchased the colt from Beth Hancock, agent for Cedar Creek Farm.

A $23,000 Giant Gizmo was the highest-priced filly at the session. She was bought by John Mattine as agent for RCC Stable, from Paradox Farm.

The catalog for the Oct. 16-17 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s fall mixed sale is available online at http://obssales.com, and iPad versions will be available starting Sept. 11 through EquineLine’s sales catalog app.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Ken and Sarah Ramsey received the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association’s awards as national breeder and owner of the year for 2011 Friday night at the group’s annual awards dinner in Lexington.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Keeneland’s September yearling sale, which opens Monday and runs through Sept. 21, will prove the biggest test yet of a yearling market that sellers hope will continue early-season positive trends.

Grade 3 winner Maram, winner of the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2008, has died at age 6.

Maram died Thursday of “an acute illness,” according to a statement issued by her owner, Karen N. Woods. Woods owned the mare and bred her in partnership with the late Saud bin Khaled, with whom she also operated Chanteclair Farm in Kentucky.

Maram produced her first foal, a Giant’s Causeway colt, on April 30, and that colt is doing well. Maram had been bred back to Elusive Quality, but was not in foal, according to Chanteclair manager Ron Wallace.