Cover image courtesy of Keeneland
A colt by City Of Light (USA) topped the final Book 3 session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, with the overall Sale gross already surpassing what was spent across all 12 sessions in 2020.
At A Glance
A total of 1169 yearlings had sold during six sessions for a total of US$278,883,000 (AU$385 million), surpassing the US$210 million (AU$290 million) spent at the Sale last year.
Across the two-session Book 3, 571 yearlings sold for US$80,011,500 (AU$110.04 million), up nearly US$28 million (AU$38.6 million) year on year.
The Book 3 average of US$140,125 (AU$193,373) and a median of US$110,000 (AU$151,800) are both well up on last year when they stood at US$87,515 (AU$120,771) and US$60,000 (AU$82,800).
The session's clearance rate was 76.9 per cent, while the overall Sale clearance rate stands at 72.5 per cent.
Jacob West secured the top-priced yearling of the session a City Of Light (USA) colt from Farfellow Farms for US$700,000 (AU$966,000).
Hannah Mathieson and Aidan Jennings had a great set of results with several pinhooks.
Light continues to shine
First-crop sire City Of Light (USA), in high demand all week at Keeneland, had the top two yearlings during Sunday's session.
Bloodstock agent Jacob West bid US$700,000 (AU$966,000) for a son of the Lane's End stallion from Farfellow Farms (Hip 1913) and Breeze Easy secured a filly (Hip 1860) by the young sire for US$525,000 (AU$724,500) from the Warrendale Sales consignment.
Jacob West | Image courtesy of Keeneland
Through six sessions, 44 yearlings by City Of Light have sold for US$17,050,000 (AU$23.53 million).
“It's 8 o'clock at night, it's way past my bedtime,” West quipped after signing the ticket on Hip 1913 on behalf of the partnership of Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola's St Elias.
“He's a beautiful horse,” West continued. “I knew we were going to have to fight them off. I had a pretty good feeling when I walked back and saw who was still hanging around that everyone was going to be on him. And that was exactly what it was. But Mike and Vinnie were dead set on getting him.
"He has a stallion's pedigree and a stallion's look. He just happened to be put in this book and this is where he sold. But he stood out like a sore thumb. He was the obvious horse today for us.”
"He (Hip 1913) has a stallion's pedigree and a stallion's look.....he stood out like a sore thumb. He was the obvious horse today for us." - Jacob West
It was another standout result for the Knelman family's Farfellow Farms. The operation's only other yearling to go through the ring at the auction was a US$1-million (AU$1.38 million) son of Street Sense (USA) (Hip 1022) who sold last Thursday.
Hip 1913 - City Of Light (USA) x Hessie's Girl (USA) (colt) | Image courtesy of Keeneland
Sunday's session-topper is out of Hessie's Girl (USA) (Giant's Causeway {USA}), a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Bullsbay (USA) (Tiznow {USA}) and to Graded winner Our Khrysty (USA) (Newfoundland {USA}), whose daughter Grace Adler (USA) (Curlin {USA}) won the September 5 G1 Del Mar Debutante.
“He was physically so impressive and he's out of a nice Giant's Causeway mare,” Jak Knelman said of the yearling.
“There is a lot of activity in the family. We bought the mare a few years ago, and I'll give a lot of credit to my mom, she picked the mare out of the catalogue. The stallion is really showing that he's throwing a nice physical.”
Jak Knelman (right) | Image courtesy of Keeneland
Breeze Easy takes top filly
Breeze Easy, which sold the session-topping daughter of Curlin (USA) on Saturday at Keeneland, purchased the top-priced filly during Sunday's session when going to US$525,000 (AU$724,500) to acquire a filly by City Of Light (Hip 1860) from the Warrendale Sales consignment.
“We've been waiting all day for this horse to come through,” said Breeze Easy's Mike Hall. “We haven't bought very many, but we loved this horse and this was one we wanted to take home.”
Hip 1860 - City Of Light (USA) x Donna Getyourgun (USA) (filly) | Image courtesy of Keeneland
Hall is already dreaming of Saratoga with Breeze Easy's newest acquisition.
“I think she's an early type horse and she can go to Saratoga,” he said. “She is a little different type of City Of Light. She's a little more typey. I think she might be a little earlier than some of them. We are looking forward to her.”
“She (Hip 1860) is a little different type of City Of Light. She's a little more typey. I think she might be a little earlier than some of them." - Mike Hall
Of the two session toppers on opposite sides of the ledger, Hall said, “The horse we sold yesterday, we loved her also, but you have to sell some horses. We are trying to build a business.”
Hip 1860 is out of stakes-placed Donna Getyourgun (USA) (Stormy Atlantic {USA}), a half-sister to multiple Graded stakes winner Clearly A Queen (USA) (Lucky North {USA}). The yearling is a half-sister to stakes winner Mizzen Beau (USA) (Mizzen Mast {USA}).
Big day for Mathiesen, Jennings
Hannah Mathiesen and Aidan Jennings will celebrate their nuptials in two weeks, but the couple had an early big day with a group of stellar pinhooks at Keeneland on Sunday.
First-up, they sold a colt by Violence (USA) (Hip 1541), purchased earlier in the year for US$65,000 (AU$89,700) at the Fasig-Tipton February Sale, for US$165,000 (AU$227,700) to BBN Racing.
Next up, a Nyquist (USA) colt (Hip 1576), purchased at Keeneland January for US$40,000 (AU$55,200), sold for US$200,000 (AU$276,000) to S 3 L, LLC. A colt by Accelerate (USA) (Hip 1765), purchased for US$110,000 (AU$151,800) at Keeneland last November, sold for US$200,000 (AU$276,000) to Atlas Bloodstock and completing the standout day, a colt by Kantharos (USA) (Hip 1818), purchased for US$125,000 (AU$175,200) at last year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale, sold for US$250,000 (AU$345,000) to Ben McElroy, as agent for Wesley Ward.
Hannah Mathiesen with Away Game after winning the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic
Of their top seller Sunday, Mathiesen said, “He was strong and very leggy for a Kantharos. A lot of them are quicker, speed horses. Since he is out of a Street Sense mare, he had a lot of stretch. I think that appealed to a lot of people. We loved him all the way along.”
Mathiesen's experience in racing and sales spans the globe. Vice president of the Nexus Racing Club, which looks to promote the sport to younger fans, the California native also spent time in Australia working with Ciaron Maher Racing and has managed pinhooking partnerships in both hemispheres. She is also the managing owner of multiple stakes-winning Australian mare Away Game (Snitzel).
Jennings, a native of Ireland, has plenty of international experience as well.
“My uncle is a National Hunt trainer in Ireland, Gerry Lynch is his name,” Jennings said. “He got me into racing. I went to college and studied equine management and science. Then I went on my own little Flying Start. I went to Japan, I went to France and worked in Australia. And I worked at Coolmore as well.”
Mathiesen and Jennings' Keeneland pinhooking success also included a son of Arrogate (USA) (Hip 721) who sold in Book 2 for US$250,000 (AU$345,000) to the bid of Colts Neck Stables. He had been purchased for US$150,000 (AU$207,000) at Keeneland last November.
“All of these horses we bought with the option to race,” Mathiesen explained. “So we brought them to market to see how it would go and thankfully, it went very well.”
“All of these horses we bought with the option to race. So we brought them to market to see how it would go and thankfully, it went very well.” - Hannah Mathiesen
Jennings admitted luck, as well as skill, played a part in their success.
“I think we were probably lucky,” he said. “The horses went the right way. It's a small sample size. The five went well, but if you had 10, I'm sure you'd have five that go well and five that don't. The market was good, but we had good horses. All of those horses looked like stakes horses. They looked the part.”
