LEXINGTON, Ky. – North American Thoroughbred breeding activity continued to decline in 2010, according to breeding statistics released Thursday by the Jockey Club.

The Thoroughbred registry reported that, based on information it had received through Sept. 7, there were 2,904 active North American stallions last year who covered 44,184 mares. Those figures represent drops of 7.2 percent for stallions and 10.6 percent for mares reported bred by the same point in 2009.

LEXINGTON, Ky. − At the Keeneland September yearling sale, some consignments are almost as famous for their hospitality as they are for the horses they’ve sold. Free coffee, gourmet cookies, and doughnuts are there to tempt weary shoppers who spend hours on their feet sifting through the auction’s 4,319 yearlings. But some of those delectable spreads, which can keep buyers and their agents hanging around for a while where yearlings are showing, are more than friendly customer service for potential bidders.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Keeneland’s two-week September sale kicked on Wednesday, posting more gains.

Led by a $650,000 full brother to graded stakes winner Hightap, Wednesday’s fourth session sold 215 horses for $32,819,500, up 38 percent from last year’s aggregate for 196. The average price rose to $152,649, an increase of 25 percent, and median roared to a 53 percent increase, from $85,000 last year to $130,000. Compounding the good news, buybacks retreated from last year’s 33 percent to a remarkably low 23 percent.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Keeneland’s marathon September auction rolled into its fourth day Wednesday with momentum from the previous day’s double-digit gains and appeared to be on its way to another strong day of selling.

At the session’s midpoint at 3 p.m., the session-leader was a $625,000 Bernardini half-brother to track record-setter Keyed Entry and two other graded winners, Justin Phillip and Successful Mission. Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum’s agent, John Ferguson, bought the dark bay colt from Valkyre Stud, the consigning agent for Oakbrook Farm.

LEXINGTON – With its two select sessions already in the books, Keeneland got down to the nitty gritty of selling horses on Tuesday, the third day of its marathon September yearling sale. And the nitty gritty was good.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -  Adena Springs stallion Awesome Again underwent colic surgery early Tuesday morning at the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, the farm has revealed.

“Awesome Again had an exploratory celiotomy the morning of Sept. 13, 2011, for a strangulating lipoma [fatty tumor] of the small colon,” attending surgeon Dr. Alan Ruggles said of the 17-year-old Awesome Again. “At this time, his prognosis is considered favorable barring further complications, He has recovered from general anesthesia and is resting comfortably in his stall.” 

Bolstered by a $1.2 million filly, figures for the third session of the Keeneland September yearling sale were running far above last year’s comparable figures approximately halfway through the session on Tuesday afternoon.

With 87 horses sold, average was $165,632 at late afternoon, a 23.8 percent jump over the average for the entire third session last year. Median was $130,000, a 33.3 percent increase over the median of $97,500 for last year’s third session.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Whisper Hill Farm owner Mandy Pope had just signed the auction receipt for her first $1 million horse: an immature but poised Unbridled’s Song filly who is a half-sister to Roman Ruler and El Corredor. The gray or roan filly, with white socks and a broad blaze, represented Pope’s single biggest investment in the Thoroughbred market, and a long-term one. After racing, the filly will join Pope’s broodmare band in Florida and will, Pope said, have a home for life.

First Dude, the winner of the 2011 Hollywood Gold Cup, will stand at Double Diamond Farm in Ocala, Fla., in 2012, according to his owner and breeder, Donald Dizney, the owner of Double Diamond.

First Dude, who placed in both the 2010 Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, was retired earlier this year after sustaining a strained tendon following his Gold Cup win, which qualified the horse for an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The 4-year-old First Dude had career earnings of $1,442,140 from 4 wins in 17 starts.

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DRF's Glenye Cain Oakford on the sale's two select sessions. Complete coverage »

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The second session of the Keeneland September sale didn’t produce much in the way of fireworks, but in an industry as beleaguered as the Thoroughbred market, it was enough just to stay above water.