Cover image courtesy of Keeneland
Led by a US$1.9 million (AU$2.87 million) son of Gun Runner, the first session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale Book 2 was extremely strong. During the session, 221 yearlings grossed $85,702,000 (AU$129 million). The average rose 22.02% from last year's opening Book 2 session
The only thing that could slow down the momentum of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale was a brief interruption in Wednesday's action when the fire alarms late in the day caused the evacuation of the pavilion.
“We joked in the back ring the market was so hot, it set the fire alarms off,” Keeneland's Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said with a chuckle after the dust had settled on another competitive day of bidding at the first of two Book 2 sessions.
Tony Lacy | Image courtesy of Keeneland
During the session, 221 yearlings grossed $85,702,000 (AU$129 million). The average rose 22.02% from last year's opening Book 2 session and the median rose 18.18% to $325,000 (AU$491,000). At last year's corresponding session, 220 horses sold for $69,917,000 (AU$106 million) for an average of $317,805 (AU$480,000) and a median of $275,000 (AU$415,000).
“It was incredible,” Lacy said of Wednesday's market. “I think we knew there was a really, really good group of horses. A lot of these horses who were bringing big money were ones that we were lobbying to get into earlier sessions, so we knew the fire power was still here. And the money was obviously well represented.”
With 100 horses reported not sold at the close of business Wednesday night, the buy-back rate for the session was 31.15%.
“There is realism in the market as well,” Lacy said, pointing to the buy-back rate. “It was not that it was all easy going. You had to be realistic with your reserves. That's a testament that it's not just people throwing money at stuff. People are doing their homework, they are doing what they feel is their due diligence and they are paying a premium for what they want. Quality is getting rewarded heavily.”
Spendthrift Farm purchased the session topper late in the day, going to $1.9 million for a colt by Gun Runner from the Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa consignment. The colt was one of 13 to bring seven figures on the day–up from three at the same session a year ago.
“The 13 seven-figure horses were bought by 11 different buyers and they are by 10 different stallions,” said Keeneland Senior Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach.
“There is still a great variety of activity here and great variety in the catalogue. Pretty much everybody who was here over the weekend is still here and still hunting and still with money to spend trying to find fast horses. That's really rewarding to us and the whole team at Keeneland.”
Wednesday's 13 seven-figure yearlings–a record for an opening Book 2 session–brought the total through three days of the auction to 48, surpassing the auction's previous all-time record of 40 set in 2005.
Cormac Breathnach | Image courtesy of Keeneland
Baffert 'humbled' as co-breeder of $1.9 million Gun Runner colt sold to Spendthrift
Bob Baffert is not usually one to be lost for words, but the Hall of Fame trainer admitted he was still processing the experience after watching a Gun Runner (hip 731) colt he co-bred sell for $1.9 million (AU$2.9 million) to Spendthrift Farm Wednesday at Keeneland.
“I have never been in this situation before,” Baffert said. “I am taking it all in right now.”
Baffert trained the session topper's stakes-placed dam Ginja (Quality Road) on behalf of his wife, Jill. The colt was co-bred on a foal share with Three Chimneys' Goncalo Torrealba.
“I am not much of a breeder,” Baffert said. “I did it for my wife, Jill. I asked Goncalo if he would do a foal share because I really liked the mare. I have to thank him for doing the foal share, and Hill 'n' Dale for raising him and selling him.”
Bob Baffert | Image courtesy of Keeneland
Of his expectations sending the colt through the ring with the Hill 'n' Dale consignment Wednesday, Baffert said, “You never know. It's a crazy sale. Jill is watching and we sold one earlier for $100,000. I thought this one would bring more. But all of a sudden everybody was liking him. I thought maybe $500,000 or something. Jill was very excited about it. She called me up and asked if it was for real.”
Baffert watched the colt sell while sitting alongside Summer Wind Farm's Jane Lyon just a section removed from the Spendthrift team. He spoke briefly with Spendthrift's Ned Toffey after the farm's general manager purchased both his colt and the Summer Wind Farm-bred Flightline colt who sold immediately afterwards.
“I said, 'Thank you, Ted,” Baffert joked of the conversation. “He said I could stop by in the spring and see if I want to train him.”
Baffert added, “I have to thank Spendthrift and everyone who bid on him. I am very humbled by this moment.”
Ned Toffey | Image courtesy of Spendthrift
Meanwhile, Toffey, asked about the session topper, quipped, “I'm a little concerned if Bob is getting rid of him.”
Toffey added, “He was a beautiful colt. We thought he was one of the best colts in the sale today. We are really happy to get him because it's been a tough market. Nobody is really stealing much here.”
Of plans for the yearling, Toffey said, “He will go to Raul Reyes in Ocala who breaks for us. We generally let them get to where they are breezing in the spring before we make a decision on where it makes sense to send each horse. We've got some good options.”
Gainesway opens book 2 with a bang
Antony Beck's Gainesway, which sold nine million-dollar yearlings during Book 1 at Keeneland September, rode the market's momentum into Book 2 with a tour de force day of selling Wednesday. The operation sold three of the day's top five priced lots–led by a $1.4-million (AU$2.1 million) homebred son of Curlin (hip 652) - and four of the day's 13 million-dollar yearlings. Gainesway was the session's leading consignor with 30 horses sold for $17,165,000 (AU$25.9 million).
“I thought we had some good horses,” admitted Gainesway's Brian Graves. “As it turned out, it looks like we had a group that was even more competitive than I thought. It's probably a new record for us for Book 2.”
In addition to hip 652, Gainesway also sold a colt by Not This Time (hip 480), co-bred with Whisper Hill Farm, LLC, and Graves, for $1.35 million (AU$2 million) to St. Elias, Albaugh Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds, and Railbirds. Mayberry Farm purchased a Gainesway-consigned colt by Tapit (hip 413), bred by Nick Cosato and Tapit Syndicate, for $1.3 million (AU$2 million).
Rounding out its four million-dollar yearlings Wednesday, Gainesway sold a colt by Constitution (hip 536) on behalf of Stonestreet for $1 million (AU$1.5 million) to Spendthrift Farm.
“Every year, you look at them and you divide them by what your eye tells you,” Graves said of placing the farm's yearlings between Books 1 and 2. “You make a split and this year we had a high volume of horses. Obviously, the line was a high one. The horses just fit highly into the book and sold probably even better than anticipated.”
During Book 1, Gainesway sold nine million-dollar yearlings, led by a $2.2-million (AU$3.3 million) daughter of Flightline (hip 338). The farm was Book 1's second leading consignor with 28 sold for $23,050,000 (AU$34.8 million).
Graves added, “I would like to thank all of our clients that trust us with their yearlings and make a day like this possible. I am grateful for each and every one of them.”
Hip 338 - Flightline x Four Graces | Image courtesy of Keeneland
Looking for more 'magic' at Keeneland September
In 2017, Good Magic rose to the top of the juvenile division, winning the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile for e Five Racing Thoroughbreds and Stonestreet Stables, ultimately garnering the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old.
At Keeneland Wednesday afternoon, another chestnut colt by Curlin was among the main attractions, commanding a $1.4 million (AU$2.1 million) final bid from Mike Ryan, the very same agent that had extended to seven figures at this venue for Good Magic nine years earlier.
“He was a duplicate of Good Magic,” Ryan said. “He has the same size, shape, color, movement and class.”
Consigned by Gainesway, Hip 652 is out of the Bernardini mare SW and GISP Cherry Lodge, a half-sister to GI Hollywood Futurity winner Stormello, in addition to GSWs My Best Brother and Gala Award. Canadian champion 2 and 3-year-old filly Curlin's Voyage can also be found under second dam Wilshewed. Cherry Lodge was purchased by Gainesway for $450,000 (AU$680,000) at KEESEP in 2015.
“The Curlin was a gorgeous horse,” said Gainesway's Brian Graves. “He was everything you'd want physically with a good pedigree. He could be a stallion prospect, but I'd say that his price exceeded our expectations.”
According to Ryan, the Mar. 30 foal has been purchased on behalf of a partnership that includes Jeffrey Drown, who also campaigned GI Blue Grass and GI Woodward winner Zandon (Upstart), third in the Kentucky Derby.
Both Good Magic and Zandon were trained by Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.
“I loved him when I saw him at the farm at Gainesway,” recalled Ryan. “At the time, I said how much he reminded me of Good Magic, who turned out to be a really good sire and a great racehorse. I'm hoping lightening can strike again.””
Ryan continued, “I got a chill when I saw him at the farm. He showed himself very well here and came from a great consignment that raised a lot of good horses. The Good Magic factor is what really sold me. He's so like Good Magic.”
Tapit colt to C R K stable
The Keeneland September sale produced its 36th million-dollar yearling when April Mayberry, bidding on behalf of CRK Stable's Lee Searing, went to $1.3 million (AU$2 million) to acquire a colt by Tapit (hip 413) from the Gainesway consignment early in Wednesday's third session of the auction.
“April Mayberry and her staff loved that horse,” Searing said of the purchase. “They had been looking at him for a couple of days. So we got here and loved that horse.”
Searing said he knew he was going up against some big guns bidding on the half-brother to Grade I winner Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music).
“When it stopped at $1.15 and we knew it was Spendthrift, I was surprised they stopped,” Searing said. “I was about where I was going to stop, but we threw a few more bids in there and it worked.”
The gray colt is out of Manki (Arch) and was bred by Nick Cosato and Tapit Syndicate. Cosato also bred Drain the Clock and his Slam Dunk Racing was co-owner of the chestnut who won the 2021 GI Woody Stephens Stakes and now resides at Gainesway.
Searing was hoping to be active in Book 2 after making one purchase during the auction's boutique Book 1.
“We bought one horse in Book 1,” he said. “Book 1 was more money than I think most people imagined. But Book 2 has always been really good. So we are here to buy more horses. We are specifically looking right now for colts. We have a lot of fillies, raced a lot of good fillies, too, this year.”
'Very special horse': $1.3 million Jackie's Warrior colt rewards O'Callaghan's faith
After Peter O'Callaghan paid $385,000 (AU$582,000 million) for a colt from the first crop of Jackie's Warrior at last year's Keeneland November sale, the horseman admitted, “It was a ridiculous amount of money for him last November. My parents told me I was a crazy man. And I have been sweating it all the year.”
It all came right in spades Wednesday at Keeneland when the colt (hip 546) sold for $1.3 million (AU$2 million) to the bid of Jacob West, acting on behalf of Robert and Lawana Low.
“He was a very special horse,” O'Callaghan recalled of his early impressions of the bay. “In my personal opinion, he was the best foal in the whole November sale last year. I overpaid for him at the time, for a freshman sire, but I wasn't leaving the sale without him. He was a special individual–the athleticism, the natural strength of him and his conformation was flawless. He had a beautiful head and expression. And everything moved. He took one step and he was halfway down the lane. Those kinds of horses are hard to come by.”
The yearling, bred by Dixiana Farm, is out of Taking Aim (Trappe Shot) and is a half-brother to graded winner Taking Candy (Twirling Candy) and graded-placed Rascality (Into Mischief). Taking Aim is a half-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Tapizar (Tapit).
