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Nine yearlings sell for seven figures during the opening session
Strong gains in aggregate, average and median were seen during the opening session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington on Monday, with nine yearlings selling for seven figures.
The first of two sessions for Book 1, 114 yearlings sold for US$57,095,000, at an average of US$500,833 and a median of US$450,000. The aggregate was up 48.99 per cent from last year's first session gross of US$38,322,000, while the average increased 25.46 per cent from US$399,188 in 2021, and the median rose 38.46 per cent from US$325,000.
Leading the nine yearlings sold for $1 million or more was a colt by Quality Road (Elusive Quality) who sold for $2.5 million, the highest amount paid for a Thoroughbred yearling in North America and the second-highest price recorded anywhere in the world this year.
The session-topping colt sold to Talla Racing, Woodford Racing and West Point LEB. and Stonehaven Steadings consigned the colt, who is a half-brother to stakes winner Feeling Mischief (Into Mischief) and from the family of champion Wait a While (Maria's Mon).
"From the moment he was born, he's been special," Aidan O'Meara of Stonehaven Steadings said. "When he was born, he got up off the ground – usually foals fall over a couple of times – but he jumped up and got stuck under his mother's legs. But he didn't do anything crazy. He just stood there and backed himself up, real cool, and walked away.
"At that moment, it told me he was special. He was a May foal, so he was always behind the others. We knew he was a special type physically, and when he started to develop as a yearling he developed that walk he has. He is a beautiful physical. He held his own as a Book 1 yearling as a May 5 baby.
"I don't think I've ever seen a better-moving horse in my life. He's a magnificent horse. It's the most special moment we've had in the history of the farm."
West Point's Terry Finley said the colt will be trained by John Sadler,.
The partnership of Talla Racing, Woodford Racing and West Point LEB, agent, purchased two yearlings for US$3,275,000 to lead buyers during the session. In addition, Talla Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds acquired two horses for US$1.3 million.
"It was a great day from beginning to end," Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said.
"Seeing the many people in the packed Sales Pavilion is a testament to the excitement of racing and of our sport in the state of Kentucky in particular. We have a lot of principals here, which is what we want. We want them to enjoy this tremendous sport and be looking to acquire their next champion."
Nine horses brought at least $1 million for the most seven-figure yearlings sold on Day 1 since 2007, while the top 15 highest-priced horses were bought by 11 different buyers. Of the 114 horses sold, 48 brought $500,000 or more. Taylor Made Sales Agency was the leading vendor, selling 15 lots for US$8,115,000, at an average of US$541,000.
"Just looking at the raw numbers, these are figures that we haven't seen in recent years," Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said.
"I was pretty excited leading up to the sale about the catalog. In the office, we all worked our tails off with a lot of negotiation with breeders and consignors. We're listening to the breeders and we're looking at the whole crop.
"We want to create diversity but also quality among those early books, because that's what the buyers want. They afford us their time to come here. We put the best horses forward, and they responded. The results were really rewarding. It's really encouraging going forward.
"With the enthusiasm for racing at the moment, we're in a bit of a golden era," Lacy added. "We've got to learn how to not take anything for granted and how to develop and work forward.
"There are a lot of happy people around the grounds today. There's always a lot of anxiety about the first day, the early hips, and I think that was set aside after things got going very early. The energy was amazing. The atmosphere was incredible. This is a great sport, and it's wonderful to see the principals coming back and enjoying it. That's what it's supposed to be, so we want to learn from what we did here and try to improve it for the next time."