Lane's End continued their reign as the the leading consignors of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale as the final horse passed through the ring to conclude the sixth session of selling Nov. 12.
The consignment has enjoyed a banner week of selling at Keeneland, cumulatively selling 92 head for a whopping gross of $18,272,500, excluding the 2.6% share in Flightline that sold for $4.6 million on Monday. Their nearest competitor, Taylor Made Sales Agency, has a gross of $16,653,000, respectively, through Saturday evening. Lane's End posted notable numbers during session six, with 34 horses selling for an average price of $42,926 for gross receipts of $1,459,500.
"If you're committed to selling here, it's achievable," said Lane's End director of sales Allaire Ryan. "If you get kind of cute with your reserve or if your full with your reserves, you're playing with fire a bit.
"I don't feel like there's a lot of depth here, but if you tick all the boxes in terms of what people are looking for, you can expect things to go beyond your reserve if you have one. But if you just miss out on one of those requirements that somebody has, they're not really willing to take a lot of risks. We've tried to be conservative (with our reserves) going into today, and it's paid off for us."
Lane's End was responsible for the highest-priced mare to go under the hammer on Saturday, the Street Sense mare Street Slayer (Hip 2166). Offered as a broodmare prospect, Street Slayer commanded $170,000 to Ezequiel Valle of JCB Stables.
Street Slayer is out of the Ghostzapper mare Ghostslayer, making her a half sister to the speedy Bayern filly Biddy Duke, winner of the 2020 Senator Ken Maddy Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park.
Additionally, the young mare is a half sibling to two pricey Keeneland September yearlings, a 2-year-old City of Light colt that realized $1.05 million in 2021 to West Bloodstock and an Arrogate colt that went to Lynnhaven Racing for $700,000 this fall.
Lane's End boasted the second-highest priced weanling of the day, selling Hip 1852 for $150,000 during the beginning of Saturday's session. Reeves Thoroughbred Racing signed the ticket on the New-York bred son of Liam's Map .
Bred by Chesapeake Farm and W.S. Farish of Lane's End Farm, the gray colt is out of the multiple stakes-placed Lemon Drop Kid mare Bitter Lemon. The dam of five winners from eight foals to race, Bitter Lemon herself is a half sibling to two black-type winners and is the daughter of grade 2 winner Snit (Fit to Fight).
"He was just a really nice, straight-forward physical," Ryan said. "And I think he was well-placed (in session six). There's plenty of demand for babies right now, especially one from a New York-bred program. That program is so lucrative and even if you are looking to pinhook, he's a great type to go onto the preferred sale in August with."
Vekoma Weanling Shines for Grovendale
The title of session-topper fell upon Hip 2205, a chestnut filly from the first crop of grade 1 winner Vekoma . Frankie's Stable, bidding via telephone, went to $215,000 to secure the filly in the final half hour of the day's trade.
Bred in Kentucky by William Humphries and Altair Farms, the filly was consigned by Grovendale. The third foal out of the Flat Out mare Truckstop Diamond, she boasts eight black-type performers on her page with graded stakes winners Gold Medal Dancer and Bachata among them.
Pin Oak Stud made four purchases Saturday to be the day's leading buyer by gross after spending $362,000 at an average price of $90,500 per horse. Among the horses they purchased was the graded stakes-placed Giant's Causeway mare Pine Needles (Hip 2088), bought in foal to Tacitus , and the Into Mischief mare Chatelet (Hip 1872), who was acquired in foal to The Factor .
Keeneland recorded 246 horses of the to go under the hammer Saturday, sold for gross receipts of $9,596,900. An average price of $39,012 and a median of $30,000 were made. Seventy-seven horses failed to attain their reserve, representing an RNA rate of 23.8%.
During session six last year, 276 horses sold of the 332 on offer for a gross of $10,615,600. An average price of $38,462 was recorded, and a median of $25,500. Fifty-six individuals failed to sell, representing an RNA rate of 16.8%.
Tracking Cumulative Figures
Over the past six selling sessions, 1,338 horses have changed hands of the 1,717 through the ring for gross receipts of $192,783,400, for an average of $144,083 and a median price of $75,000. Three hundred and seventy nine horses failed to meet their reserve, representing an RNA rate of 22.1%.
After six days of selling last year, 1,441 horses of the 1,747 on offer changed hands for a gross of $180,664,600, suitable for an average price of $125,374 and a median of $75,000. Three hundred and six horses went unsold, representing an RNA rate of 17.5%.
Selling from Book 4 continues Nov. 13 at 10:00 a.m. ET, with Hips 2229-2634 slotted to walk into the sales ring. As of Saturday morning, 63 horses had been withdrawn from session seven.
