Fri, 09/25/2009 - 00:00

Price decline persists at sale

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The top prices hadn't yet hit the six-figure mark by 4 p.m. Friday at the Keeneland September yearling sale's 11th session. At least by that hour, Friday was the first day that a six-figure horse hadn't yet sold at the two-week auction. The session-leader was Hip No. 3919, an $80,000 Stormy Atlantic colt that the Taylor Made agency sold to Just For Fun Stables.

Wed, 09/23/2009 - 00:00

Unbridled's Song colt tops sale's Day 9

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Racehorse buyers and the yearling-to-juvenile resellers called pinhookers were dominant Wednesday at the ninth session of Keeneland's 14-day September yearling sale.

Wed, 09/23/2009 - 00:00

Buyers fancy young broodmares

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Racehorse buyers seeking yearlings from young broodmares were dominant Wednesday at the ninth session of Keeneland's 14-day September yearling sale.

Twin Peeks Racing paid $150,000 - the session-leading price at 4 p.m. Eastern - for Hip No. 3102. The Birdstone colt offered by the Clabes Bloodstock agency is out of Elle Nicole, a 6-year-old El Corredor mare.

Tue, 09/22/2009 - 00:00

Halfway through, Keeneland sale down sharply

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Keeneland September yearling sale in Lexington hit its halfway point Monday, the seventh of 14 sessions.

The session sold 277 yearlings for $11,091,800, down 41 percent from Day 7 last season. Monday's average price of $40,043 and median of $27,000 were down 40 percent and 46 percent, respectively. The buy-back rate rose from 21 percent last year to 25 percent.

Tue, 09/22/2009 - 00:00

Figures still dipping at Keeneland sale's midpoint

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Keeneland September yearling sale in Lexington hit its halfway point Monday, the seventh of 14 sessions. The glowering skies and heavy showers matched the falling returns, though the top prices at each session continued to hold steady at six figures, much as they did at this point last year.

Sat, 09/19/2009 - 00:00

$475K Bernstein colt tops Keeneland session

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A $475,000 colt brightened the Keeneland September yearling auction's fifth day of selling Saturday.

Friday was the auction's dark day. The sale's first four days were battered by steep declines in revenue.

Fri, 09/18/2009 - 00:00

Vinery opening new sale division

Vinery has created a new sale consignment division that will offer horses in the select juvenile sales next year.

Vinery has divisions in Florida, Kentucky, and Australia, and the Florida farm's training facilities will serve as headquarters for the juvenile sale horses. Managed by Ian Brennan, the Summerfield, Fla., property has been serving as a breaking-and-training facility for Vinery's runners.

Wed, 09/16/2009 - 00:00

Son of Storm Cat breaks $2 million

Photos by Z/Keeneland
Hip No. 342, a son of Storm Cat, set off an old-fashioned bidding war between Coolmore and Sheikh Mohammed.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Three yearlings finally broke the $1 million barrier Tuesday at Keeneland's September yearling auction, and one of them revived a bidding rivalry that many had believed was a thing of the past.

With the September sale languishing after calamitous financial declines on Monday, it took a $2.05 million Storm Cat colt in Tuesday's session to revive the battle between the Thoroughbred sport's two big houses: Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum and Coolmore Stud.

Tue, 09/15/2009 - 00:00

Half to Ashado tops session at $925K

Photos By Z/Keeneland
Coolmore bought the first session's top lot, a half-brother to Ashado who sold for $925,000. No horse topped the $1 million mark.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The two-week Keeneland September sale got under way Monday in Lexington, and by the time the session ended, the situation was clear. The world's largest Thoroughbred yearling auction was the expected buyer's market. Selling was active but marred by buy-backs as bidders scouted for bargains and many sellers refused to discount their horses too far. And the crowd-pleasing duels between Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum and Coolmore Stud that resulted in multimillion-dollar bids were a distant memory.

Mon, 09/14/2009 - 00:00

Opportunity for yearling bargain hunters

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Keeneland September yearling sale opens Monday in Lexington with a smaller catalog than last year and lowered expectations in light of the dramatic downturn in both the Thoroughbred market and general economy.

The auction begins with a pair of select sessions Monday and Tuesday, then continues with open sessions through Sept. 28. The sessions will stream at . HRTV also will broadcast the select sessions.

:: HIPS TO WATCH: (PDF)