Gun Runner colt on top again as Keeneland Book 2 posts double-digit gains

Cover image courtesy of Keeneland

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale continued to churn out double-digit year-on-year gains as its second Book 2 session concluded Thursday night with yet another son of Gun Runner leading the way. Through four sessions of the 12-day auction, 671 yearlings have grossed US$307,639,000 ($461.9 million). At this same point a year ago, 640 head had sold for US$252,528,000 ($379 million).

Asked about the gross surpassing the US$300 million mark after day four, Keeneland Senior Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach laughed and said, “It's never been on a Thursday before.”

Breathnach continued, “There were several September sales, especially in the early years, but post-2008 economic crash, and I think the COVID year, where it didn't even sniff US$300 million for the whole thing. This is putting money back into the hands of the people who make this industry go.

"The breeders are the backbone of the sale, but also of the industry. It's such a difficult job and a lot of them are still taking hits on certain horses here this week, as good as it has been for most. So as much of that money we can get back into their hands to go forward year to year, that's a massive focus.”

'A good, healthy environment'

Through the two Book 2 sessions, 454 yearlings sold through the ring for a gross of US$163,454,000 ($245 million). The section's average was US$360,031 ($540,500)–up 18.1% from the 2024 Book 2–and the median was US$300,000 ($450,000), up 15.4% from a year ago.

“It has been consistent over the last two days,” said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. “There are a lot of similarities in the increases and the RNA rate–there was a little better clearance rate today. It was just a good, healthy environment. The money was here right to the end.”

Through four sessions, the buy-back rate stands at 27.07%. It was 29.59% at this same point a year ago. Eighteen horses sold for US$1 million ($1.5 million) or more during the 2025 Book 2, up from just five in 2024.

“Today again, the top 15 sellers went to 13 different buyers by 12 different stallions and from 11 different consignors,” Breathnach said. “That's what gives you confidence going into the next eight sessions. Because we have depth to the market. We have more buyers that are coming in, the next waves are going to arrive for Book 3 and beyond and people that are still here are having to bid hard for the horses they want.”

Bidding at the Keeneland September sale will have a one-day break before resuming Saturday and continuing through the following Saturday with sessions beginning daily at 10am.

'Can't go wrong with Gun Runner': Magnier, Brant team for US$1.55 million colt

Coolmore's MV Magnier and Peter Brant's White Birch Farm, who went to a sale-topping US$3.3 million ($4.95 million) to acquire a colt by Gun Runner on Monday, added another son of the Three Chimneys stallion to their portfolio when going to US$1.55 million ($2.33 million) for a yearling (hip 969) from the Four Star Sales consignment on Thursday. All four sessions of the September sale have been topped by sons of Gun Runner.

Hip 969 was bred by Three Chimneys and is out of graded winner Twenty Carat (Into Mischief). His third dam, Silk n' Sapphire (Smart Strike), produced GI Breeders' Cup Fillies And Mares Turf winner Shared Account, who in turn is the dam of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Sharing.

“(Three Chimneys') Goncalo (Torrealba) is a very good breeder, and he's out of a good mare,” Magnier said of the yearling's appeal. “So we are happy enough to get him.”

Of the colt's placement in Book 2, Four Star Sales' Kerry Cauthen said, “I saw that horse back on the farm quite a while ago. He was a rangy horse who probably didn't have it all pulled together at the time. People might ask what this million-dollar horse is doing in Book 2, but he was narrow and light. But we thought he would come along and develop. And he did.”

Gun Runner, whose 'Rising Star' son Brant won the GI Del Mar Futurity Sunday, has had 12 yearlings sell for seven figures this week at Keeneland. Through four days, 36 yearlings have sold for an average of US$932,917 ($1.4 million) and a median of US$825,000 ($1.24 million).

“What can you say about Gun Runner?” Cauthen asked. “You can't go wrong right now with Gun Runner. They are in love with them and they should be.”

Searing goes to US$1.4 million for Flightline colt

The action around first-crop sire Flightline continued Thursday with a colt out of Layla (Union Rags) (Hip 794) realising US$1.4 million ($2.1 million) from April Mayberry, bidding on behalf of Lee Searing's C R K Stable.

A full-sister to Grade 1 winner Express Train, the 11-year-old mare is a granddaughter of GI Alabama Stakes heroine November Snow (Storm Cat). Mayberry also secured Express Train for Searing for US$500,000 ($751,000) at the 2018 September sale. The March 12 foal was offered by Dixiana Farms, who also bred the colt.

“He's identical (to Express Train) and then throw Flightline in on top of that,” said Mayberry of Thursday's purchase. “Express Train is one of Mr Searing's all-time favourite horses, so it's kind of a no-brainer. He looks so much like (Express Train).

“It is definitely a seller's market right now. We expected after watching Saratoga, everything was going to be a little bit higher and we were not wrong. If you want them, you're going to pay for them. We've been real, real picky and I think we're happy with everything we've gotten so far.”

Richard Drake jumps in for US$1.35 million Not This Time colt

Many of the big names at this week's Keeneland September sale were still in attendance for Thursday's Book 2 finale and several of them made their presence felt when Hip 1066, a colt by Not This Time, stepped into the ring. When the dust had settled, it was Texas horseman Richard Drake who secured the third highest-priced yearling of the session for US$1.35 million ($2 million). Handling the bidding and signing duties for Drake was former European champion jockey Cash Asmussen.

“It is going to be the first horse that Steve (Asmussen) has for Mr Drake,” confirmed Asmussen. “He's smooth. This is the kind of horse we felt was not too big, not too small. He's very athletic.”

The March 15 foal is the first for the 6-year-old unraced Tapit mare Definitive, a daughter of GI Humana Distaff winner Aubby K (Street Sense) and full sister to Graded winner Magic On Tap and Graded stakes-placed Principe Guilherme.

“He's got enough pedigree out of a Tapit mare and the Winchell family (who campaigned Tapit) has been a great supporter of my family, and so Tapit is a very familiar horse for us,” explained Asmussen. “He has the pedigree and confirmation. It's a roll of the dice, as we all know. But Mr Drake said, 'I want to roll the dice on this horse.'”

Consigned by Taylor Made Sales, the dark bay was bred by Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Farm.

“I fell in love with him the first time I saw him–a beautiful horse, so well balanced,” Taylor said. “He reminded me of the one we sold out of Wembley in Book 1 for US$1.7 million (Hip 211). This one ended up in Book 2. I thought he was a US$1 million horse, and that is aggressive to say for a Book 2 horse. I didn't know definitely that the money was going to be there, but it was.

“The list of people on that horse was two pages, but the one I didn't have on the horse was Cash Asmussen. He surprised me. I mean, he's a legend. I think Cash got an awesome athlete and I can't wait to see what he does.”

According to Asmussen, the colt is the first of what looks to be a growing string of horses that Drake plans to have under the care of Asmussen's Hall of Fame brother, Steve.

“(Drake) has quite a few horses, but he wanted to get hooked up with Steve,” Asmussen explained. “He'd like to buy a horse that was special. We feel this horse was special.”

Asmussen indicated the new acquisition will initially start at the Asmussen family's El Primero Training Center in Laredo, Texas, that has been the launchpad for the careers of horses like Epicenter and Tapit himself.

First-crop yearling sire Life Is Good gets first Keeneland millionaire

Minutes before 8pm on Thursday evening and just a dozen hips before the end of Book 2, the hammer dropped at US$1.25 million ($1.88 million) for a colt by WinStar's first-crop yearling sire Life Is Good, a multiple Grade 1-winning son of Into Mischief, with Hunter Rankin signing the ticket on behalf of the Boersma family's Flying Dutchmen.

“When you're buying horses, they're all undefeated right now, so you've got to be excited,” said a jubilant Rankin. He said this is the third Life Is Good yearling Flying Dutchmen will have in the barn.

“We bought one last year as a weanling that we love (a US$400,000 - $600,500 - colt out of Lady Aces {Constitution} at Keeneland November). We have a homebred that we really like, too, and here at this sale, we've liked a bunch of them, but this guy just came from a really good pedigree and really great breeders. It's really hard to overestimate how much that means to us in terms of where they were raised.”

Bred and consigned by Hinkle Farms, who also bred his first two dams, the bay colt, sold as hip 1142, is out of the unraced Indian Bay (Indian Charlie), making him a half-brother to Japanese Group-winning Shivaji (First Samurai) and to stakes winner and multiple Grade I-placed Tarabi (First Samurai), as well as to this year's GI Santa Anita Derby third Westwood (Authentic).

Rankin signed for 10 yearlings for Flying Dutchmen through the first two books at Keeneland September, including a US$1 million filly by Not This Time.

“It's hard to say if this is going to be the best one,” said Rankin, “but if you keep buying horses like him, you're going to be successful. It was really hard to get him. I know we outbid some really good people, and obviously, maybe (it was) a little more than what we'd hoped to spend, but if you want to put nice horses in the barn, you have to spend real money.”

Rankin touched on the emotions behind buying at this level.

“You can't take this stuff for granted. It's really special,” he said. “This family, they're such special people and they get excited with every horse we buy, as we all do. The horse will be named within 24 hours. It's a really cool thing to be a part of.”

Rankin also went to a cool US$1 million ($1.5 million) on Thursday afternoon to add a Not This Time filly to the Flying Dutchmen's haul. Consigned by Warrendale Sales as hip 887, the bay daughter of 2017 GII Golden Road Stakes victress Road To Victory (Quality Road) is a half-sister to 2024 Sir Barton Stakes winner Corporate Power (Curlin). She was bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, who picked up her dam for US$1.45 million ($2.18 million) at Fasig-Tipton November in 2019.

“We loved the family,” said Rankin, “and Barbara (Banke) is so great to buy from. (Stonestreet) raises their horses the right way, so we loved her and we were really going to try to get her. That was at the upper end of what we wanted to pay, but it was great."

Nothing but net: Jack Christopher colt stars for Ledgelands

Shelley and Andrew Ritter's Ledgelands, which has been consigning at the Keeneland September sale since 2016, enjoyed its biggest result to date when its homebred colt by Jack Christopher (hip 854) sold for US$500,000 ($751,000) to the bid of Katsumi Yoshida Thursday at Keeneland. The Ritters had purchased Pathos (Successful Appeal), with the colt in utero, for US$26,000 ($39,000) at the 2024 Keeneland January sale.

“Not US$500,000,” Andrew Ritter said when asked what his expectations were for Thursday's sale. “Maybe US$200,000-$300,000.”

The Ritters first became aware of Pathos when she went through the sales ring at OBS at the 2023 Winter Sale where she sold for US$30,000 ($45,000). The couple missed out on the mare that day, but didn't hesitate when given a second chance last January.

“We saw her before down in Ocala and we liked her,” Andrew said. “But then she went to somebody else. When she came up for sale again, we hit it.”

Of the bargain price, he added, “It was blind luck.”

Shelley Ritter said the colt impressed them right away; “We loved him from the start."

Her husband added, “He came out gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. He was the best on the farm from the time he was born.”

The Ritters confirmed this was the highest they have ever sold a horse for, although they had a close second at Keeneland last September.

“We didn't cry this time,” Andrew said. “Last year, we cried. The one last year was a Yaupon that brought US$475,000. We bought that mare for US$1. That was pretty exciting.”

Of the Ledgelands operation, Shelley said, “We have 25 mares. We do it all. A little bit of everything.”

Boomer and Blacker combine on Book 2 purchases

Craig Rounsefell’s Boomer Bloodstock and multiple Breeders’ Cup-winning trainer Dan Blacker signed for three lots over Book 2 of Keeneland’s September sale, starting with Hip 750 towards the close of the sale’s third session. Sired by Bolt D’Oro, the filly is the third foal from multiple stakes winner Honey’s Sox Appeal (Successful Appeal), who won 11 races from two to seven, and was consigned by Legacy Bloodstock for US$90,000 ($135,000).

The partnership combined again midway through the sale’s fourth session to secure Hip 919, a Munnings colt out of a Medaglia D’Oro half-sister to multiple Graded winner Tom’s Ready (More Than Ready) and Japanese Group winner Jean Gros (More Than Ready). Consigned by Indian Creek, the hammer fell on the colt at US$75,000 ($113,000).

As the fourth session drew to a close, Rounsefell pounced on a filly (hip 1149) by GI Preakness Stakes winner Early Voting, a son of Gun Runner whose first yearlings headed to auction houses this year. Out of a Medaglia D’Oro half-sister to Graded winners Stormello (Stormy Atlantic), My Best Brother (Stormy Atlantic), and Gala Award (Bernadini), the filly was consigned by Valkyre Stud, with Rounsefell signing the docket for US$60,000 ($90,100).