LEXINGTON, Ky. - Keeneland's September sale, the largest Thoroughbred yearling auction in the world, ended Saturday with strong gains that gave consignors hope that the market was on the rebound.

After the gavel fell for the last time Saturday afternoon, Keeneland's 13 sessions had sold 2,921 yearlings for gross receipts totaling $223,487,800, a 13-percent upward bounce from last year's total for 3,059 horses at a 14-day vendue. The 2011 auction passed last year's gross on Sept. 19 at its eighth session.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Keeneland’s two-week September yearling sale carried the momentum of large increases into its 12^th session Friday, which saw median more than double from last year.

Friday’s session sold 197 yearlings for $1,860,800, for an average price of $9,446 and a $7,500 median. Gross and average were both up 47 percent over last year, when 197 horses brought $1,261,600 for a $6,404 average price. 

The session buyback rate was an extraordinarily low 13 percent, a long drop from last year’s 35 percent rate. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Keeneland’s two-week September yearling sale carried the momentum of large increases into its 12th session Friday, where a $52,000 Fusaichi Pegasus colt was leading the price list at 3 p.m.

Tim and Crystal O’Donohue bought the chestnut colt, a son of the Dixieland Band mare Whalah, from Willam Harrigan’s Miacomet Farm agency. The colt is a half-brother to three winners, including the Smart Strike colt Strikewhileitshot, an earner of more than $165,000.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs continued its spending spree Thursday at the Keeneland September yearling sale’s 11th session, contributing to more across-the-board increases at the marathon 13-day auction.

Thursday’s session ended with a 62 percent bump up in gross when 291 horses sold for $5,131,100, up from the equivalent day in 2010, when 278 yearlings sold. The session average, $17,633, jumped 55 percent from last year’s figure, and the $12,000 median increased by 50 percent.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Three Chimneys flagship stallion Rahy, whose 91 stakes-winners included Hall of Famer Serena’s Song, has died at age 26.

Three Chimneys announced Thursday that Rahy, a Blushing Groom horse, died Thursday “due to the infirmities of old age,” according to a farm release. He had been a pensioner at the Midway, Ky., farm since 2009, when he was retired from stud duty because of declining fertility.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A day after Keeneland posted its seventh consecutive day of increases, prices were lower Thursday as Keeneland’s September yearling sale neared its end.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A half-dozen six-figure yearlings led selling Wednesday at the Keeneland September auction, where the sale continued strong momentum heading for its Sept. 24 ending.

The session-topper was an Adena Springs purchase, a $140,000 Big Brown colt who is a half-brother to Grade 2 winner Recapturetheglory. The chestnut colt is a member of his sire’s first yearling crop and is out of the stakes-placed Dehere mare Cold Awakening. Blake-Albina Thoroughbreds Services, agent, sold the colt to Frank Stronach’s operation.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A trio of six-figure yearlings led selling Wednesday as the Keeneland September auction attempted to continue its run of increases.

The Keeneland September yearling sale remained strong on Wednesday, its ninth session, posting solid gains when compared to a similar session last year and pushing the gross receipts well beyond last year’s gross for the entire sale.

With day eight of the 13-day Keeneland September yearling sale in the books as of Monday night, gross proceeds from the startlingly strong sale had already surpassed the gross from last year’s 14-day yearling auction.

After selling $12.2 million worth of yearlings on Monday, the cumulative gross through the first eight sessions was $198,638,200 for 1,631 yearlings sold, just edging the 14-day gross for the sale last year of $198,254,900. Last year, Keeneland sold a total of 3,059 horses.