Highlighted by two high-priced yearlings by young sires, the Sept. 22 ninth session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale rose sharply from a year ago. The first day of Book 5 concluded with gross sales of $12,929,500, nearly double the $6,571,600 tallied in 2020.
Session highlights included an Army Mule filly that sold as Hip 3158 to agent Maddie Mattmiller for $250,000 and an Arrogate colt that sold as Hip 3004 for $230,000 to trainer Mark Glatt, as agent. Army Mule's first foals are yearlings of 2021, while Arrogate's first 2-year-olds hit the track this year.
Final figures for the ninth session show 325 yearlings sold for gross receipts of $12,929,500, an average of $39,783, and a median of $30,000 for the 358 horses that passed through the ring. With 33 horses not meeting their reserve, the RNA rate was just 9.2%.
After the corresponding session in 2020, Keeneland reported 258 yearlings, including post sales, sold for gross receipts of $6,571,600, an average price of $25,471, and a median of $15,000 from 308 horses on offer. Fifty horses failed to meet their reserve for an RNA rate of 16.2%.
Peter O'Callaghan of Woods Edge Farm, which consigned Hip 3004, said the market remained "outstanding." All nine of his consigned horses that entered the ring on Wednesday sold. Woods Edge Farm withdrew one horse from the sale on the day.
"There's an army of people out there," he said. "There must have been 10 guys lined up to bid on that horse—all different levels.
"It's very impressive, but it's just a great reflection of the current state of racing in America. Our prize money is so good, and there's so many strong districts, and it's no accident this is happening. This is probably five years in the making—everything that's gone into historical racing and the gaming outfits, and we're now seeing the evolution of it all. Long may it continue."
One owner, Jake Ballis, has experienced that first hand in Kentucky this month with Black Type Thoroughbreds, winning the $299,700 Pocahontas Stakes (G3) Sept. 18 at Churchill Downs with Hidden Connection as a part-owner. That followed a $127,040 maiden victory from Breaker of Chains with his partnership as co-owner at Kentucky Downs.
Ballis signed the ticket for the session topper, with agent Maddie Mattmiller, the purchaser of record, seated alongside. Black Type Thoroughbreds will race the filly with a currently unidentified owner, Ballis said.
"It was a lot of money, especially this late in the sale, but the market continues to be very, very strong, and it's going to continue to Fasig," the head of Black Type Thoroughbreds said.
Fasig-Tipton has three yearling sales across the country this fall.
Out of the winning Henny Hughes mare Henny's Hurricane, Hip 3158 is a half sister to Amynta, a stakes winner in Panama. Hill' n' Dale Sales Agency consigned the filly.
This year's cumulative figures through session nine, including post sales, show 2,229 yearlings sold of the 2,698 offered, grossing $350,633,000, averaging $157,305, and with a median of $90,000. The cumulative RNA rate is 17.4% for the 469 horses not sold.
The 2020 cumulative figures through session nine, including post sales, show 1,893 horses sold of the 2,623 offered for gross receipts of $240,853,800, an average of $127,234, and a median of $60,000. At this stage in last year's sale, 730 horses had failed to reach their reserve, representing an RNA rate of 27.8%.
Keeneland continues to update its statistics with post-sale purchases, which can cause later changes in overall numbers.
With five purchases for a total of $382,000 Wednesday, John Oxley was the session's leading buyer. Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse signed the sales tickets for Oxley. Among the acquisitions was a $150,000 colt by Cross Traffic , Hip 2958, whose second dam is 2005 Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Summerly. Consigned by Mulholland Farm, the colt is out of the Super Saver mare Summer Place.
"Mr. Oxley and I have had a lot of luck over the years," Casse said from the sales pavilion. "We kind of went back to old school. We started off buying racehorses, and we had a lot of luck. Just buying racehorses—and that's what we're doing."
Taylor Made Sales Agency sold 29 horses Wednesday for gross receipts of $1,279,000 to lead all consignors in the ninth session. It is also the leading consignor over the entire sale with 237 sold for a total of $35,445,000.
Many buyers were following their dreams Wednesday, some with hopes of purchasing a winner of a race such as the Kentucky Oaks or Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).
Jerry Crawford of Donegal Racing acknowledged the pursuit of Derby dreams, noting that his son, Conor, developed a pedigree-based algorithm in an attempt to uncover Kentucky Derby winners about 20 years ago. The number-crunching allowed them to shortlist contenders for Derby wagering, and now the algorithm is one element of their scouting process for finding yearlings.
That, among other procedures, has brought Donegal to the Kentucky Derby three times. Paddy O'Prado and Dullahan ran third for them in 2010 and 2012, respectively, and Keen Ice was seventh in 2015.
Donegal's Wednesday acquisition of Hip 3084 passed the algorithm test, as well as a physical evaluation from Crawford's team, which includes Oracle Bloodstock's Conor Foley. Hip 3084, a Noble Mission colt consigned by Lane's End, went to Donegal for $155,000.
Upon learning his colt was one of the highest-priced of the day, Crawford laughed and replied, "I have good taste and limited funds."
"I mean, nobody saw this coming," Foley added about the sale. "I don't know why this happened, but all the breeders are getting well rewarded. I am sure there are a lot of happy stallion owners."
The second day of the three-day Book 5 continues Sept. 23 at 10 a.m. ET, with Hips 3167-3579 cataloged in the 10th session.
