As buyers sort through the best of the best during Book 1 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale that begins Sept. 13, the progeny of Into Mischief , Quality Road , Curlin , Medaglia d'Oro , Tapit , and War Front should all be among the ones comfortably commanding premium prices. Some fireworks may be in store as well for those by freshman sire Gun Runner .
Spendthrift Farm's two-time leading sire Into Mischief is on a strong track to claim a third North American leading sire title with more than $17.6 million in progeny earnings as of Sept. 12. What is likely to keep him out front are the other categories in which he leads—by number of winners with 197 (compared with second-ranked Munnings with 143 and third-ranked Twirling Candy with 123) and by number of black-type winners with 23 (Curlin and Munnings rank second with 15 each).
Among the 15 yearlings at the 2020 Keeneland September sale that sold for seven-figures, five were by Into Mischief.
The 16-year-old son of Harlan's Holiday has 30 yearlings still entered in Book 1 of the Keeneland sale, including Hip 67, which has already generated seven-figure attention in the sales ring. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the colt is out of multiple grade 1-placed winner Miss Besilu, a 10-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro that has already produced multiple graded-placed winner Gun It. The colt was offered last year at The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select breeding stock sale in Kentucky, where he was bought back on a final bid of $1 million. Three Chimneys Farm bred the colt.
Lane's End's Quality Road is carrying a lot of commercial momentum into the Keeneland marketplace. The 15-year-old son of Elusive Quality is the leading North American sire by summer sale yearling average, with seven sold from 10 offered for an average of $635,714. He was represented at The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale in New York, by a $1 million filly out of Above Perfection. The filly was sold by Indian Creek as agent to Kindred Stables.
Quality Road was the fifth-leading sire by average (with more than one yearling sold) at last year's Keeneland September sale with 33 sold for an average of $339,939. The stallion's Book 1 offerings this year include Hip 47, a bay colt out of multiple grade 1 winner and stakes producer Love and Pride (A.P. Indy). The colt, also bred by Three Chimneys, is being consigned by Gainesway as agent.
Momentum from the racetrack will bolster the yearlings by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa's Curlin at the September sale. The 17-year-old son of Smart Strike and two-time Horse of the Year has been represented by one horse sold at this year's summer yearling sales, but he brings plenty of buzz to Keeneland as the leading North American sire by number of 2021 graded stakes winners with 12 and the leader by year to date grade 1 winners with four.
Curlin's top performers of the year include Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Alabama Stakes (G1) winner Malathaat, Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa (G1) winner Known Agenda , TVG Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) winner Grace Adler, and Santa Anita Handicap (G1) winner Idol .
At the 2020 Keeneland September sale, Curlin was the fourth-leading sire by average at $347,517. His yearling median for all of 2020 was $300,000.
Curlin currently has 20 yearlings entered in Book 1. Among his early offerings is Hip 44 in Stone Farm's consignment. The bay filly, bred by celebrity chef Bobby Flay, is out of the Tiznow winner Life Well Lived, a multiple stakes producer. The mare's foals include grade 1 winner and Japan-based sire American Patriot, stakes winner Well Humored, and multiple graded-placed winner Muqtaser. Life Well Lived is a full sister to Well Armed, winner of the 2009 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1).
Darley Stallions' Medaglia d'Oro, Gainesway's Tapit, and Claiborne Farm's War Front have been a trio of Keeneland September Book 1 stalwarts for several years. Yearlings by these three sires accounted for seven of the 15 that sold for a million or more during the 2020 September sale.
Medaglia d'Oro, a 22-year-old son of El Prado, was the leading sire during the 2020 September sale by average at $599,722 and has the second-highest yearling average so far this year of $625,000. The sire was represented by four seven-figure horses last September.
His 17 yearlings entered in Book 1 include Hip 81, a bay filly out of grade 2 winner Moulin de Mougin that is part of Lane's End's consignment. The mare is a half sister to grade 2 winner Schiaparelli, graded-placed stakes winner Bronson, and stakes winner Alexis Tangier. The family also produced multiple group 1 winner and European Horse of the Year Roaring Lion.
Tapit, a 20-year-old son of Pulpit, was the 2020 September sale's third-leading sire by average at $415,909. He sired the sale topper, a colt out of grade 1 winner Tara's Tango named Capensis, who sold for $2 million to Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Robert LaPenta, Gainesway, and Winchell Thoroughbreds. Eaton Sales consigned the yearling on behalf of Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings.
Tapit's Book 1 offerings of 2021 include Hip 164, a gray or roan colt out of Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) winner and multiple grade 1 winner Stopchargingmaria. Gainesway consigns the colt that was bred by Three Chimneys and Whisper Hill Farm. Stopchargingmaria has two foals to race and both are winners.
War Front sired 11 yearlings sold during the 2020 Keeneland September sale that averaged $314,364 and so far this year the 19-year-old son of Danzig has a yearling average of $401,667. The sire has 19 that are entered in Book 1, and many will have international appeal.
Claiborne offers one homebred that should make the short lists of several European buyers—Hip 117, a bay colt out of the Galileo group-placed winner Queen Nefertiti. The mare has one foal to race who is a winner and a full brother to the September yearling offering. Queen Nefertiti is a full sister to group 1 winner and European sire The Gurkha.
Three Chimneys' freshman sire Gun Runner does not possess the cache yet of these other top sires but there is no denying he is a "now" stallion heading into the Keeneland September sale.
Gun Runner's first yearlings last year attracted plenty of attention and led the progeny of all other first-crop sires at the Keeneland September sale with a $253,750 average from 32 sold. The sire's progeny has done much this year to reward those who put faith in their potential as racehorses. Gun Runner is the leader of his class as of Sept. 12 by progeny earnings ($1.3 million) and by number of black-type winners (four). More significantly, he has sired two grade 1 winners already in Echo Zulu, who won the Spinaway Stakes (G1), and Gunite , who the very next day captured the Hopeful Stakes (G1).
Gun Runner has six yearlings still entered in Book 1, including Hip 68, a chestnut colt out of the grade 1-placed stakes winner Miss Empire. Consigned by Timber Town and bred by Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm, the colt's second dam, Miss Excitement, is half sister to Beyond the Waves, who is the dam of 2019 Horse of the Year and multiple grade 1 winner Bricks and Mortar.
