Taylor Made Stallions' marquee sire Not This Time , who currently sits atop the general sires list, had a spectacular opening day at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale Sept. 14 in Lexington.
His top-priced offering of the day was Hip 181, a half brother to grade 1 winner Tapit Trice who brought $2.1 million from J.S. Company for Yosuke Imafuku. Hip 181 is out of the graded stakes-placed Dunkirk mare Danzatrice, who is a half sister to 2018 champion 2-year-old filly Jaywalk.
He was bred and consigned by Gainesway.
Yoshito Yahagi, the trainer of Forever Young, said the colt will go to Japan.
"A bit expensive, more than we expected," Yahagi said on the price of the colt.
Earlier in the session, a colt (Hip 61) by Not This Time out of Smart Strike mare Sweet Pistol sold for $1.5 million to Robert and Lawana Low, who bred Arkansas Derby (G1) winner and Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up Renegade, whom they campaign in partnership with Repole Stable.
The Airdrie Stud-bred and -offered colt is a half brother to grade 1 winner Faiza (Girvin). Sweet Pistol is a half sister to multiple graded stakes winner and sire Thousand Words .
"He handled the whole stress of the sale well," said Jacob West, who signed the ticket for Hip 61 on behalf of the Lows. "He comes from an incredible breeder. You have a lot of confidence going in and buying from those guys (Airdrie Stud). Just physically, he was great. But the pedigree backed it up, too."
Not This Time's third seven-figure sale of the day was Hip 115, a colt out of the multiple graded stakes winner Always Shopping—a daughter of the grade 1-placed and stakes-winning mare Stopshoppingmaria.
Hip 115 was bred in Kentucky by Repole Stable.
Flightline Colt Goes to $1.7 Million
Near the end of Day 1, J.S. Company came out on top of bidding to secure Hip 160, a colt by 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline , for $1.7 million. Flightline ranks seventh by progeny earnings on the current list of first-crop sires.
Hip 160 is the first foal out of the Uncle Mo mare Chasing Summer, who is a half sister to 2018 champion older dirt male and multiple grade 1 winner Accelerate. He was bred in Kentucky by Gregory Bentley and Caroline Bentley, who purchased Chasing Summer carrying Hip 160 at the 2024 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale for $320,000.
Pat Costello, co-founder and managing director of Paramount Sales who consigned the colt, said the yearling had plenty of interest and all the right people were on him.
"I'm big on a neckline on a horse and balance. He has a lovely hip on him," Costello said about his physical appeal. "In the back walking ring, he didn't turn a hair. He has a lovely smart head on him.
"He's just a beauty, lovely balance, lovely lines on him. It looks like he's going to be a big-time horse."
Costello, who has been selling horses with Paramount at Keeneland since 2001, said he owes everything to Keeneland.
"It's been my life. I started pinhooking horses by myself back here in the day, and I still am. I owe everything—my life to Keeneland, really," Costello said.
Justify Yearlings Crack $1M Threshold
Dermot Farrington went to $1.2 million for a Justify filly (Hip 81) on behalf of Fitriani Hay. Paramount Sales consigned the filly, who is out of the Galileo mare Toy.
The dam is a full sister to millionaire Gleneagles, two-time Breeders' Cup runner Happily, Joan of Arc, and Marvellous. Her second dam, You'resothrilling, is a full sister to Giant's Causeway.
Farrington previously won the bidding at $2.3 million for a Jackie's Warrior filly at this year's Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.
Another Justify yearling, Hip 12, sold for $1.1 million out of the Four Star Sales consignment. Purchased by trainer Haruki Sugiyama, the dark bay or brown colt will head to Japan. Sugiyama trains Lovcen, winner of the first two legs of this year's Japanese Triple Crown.
The colt is out of the More Than Ready mare Samaready. The dam earned more than $1.7 million in her native Australia and was named that country's champion female sprinter for the 2013-14 campaign.
Into Mischief Sire of Two Seven-Figure Sales
Spendthrift Farm's marquee sire Into Mischief left his mark among the 18 seven-figure yearlings on Day 1 of the Keeneland September sale.
Denali Stud, as agent for Spendthrift, consigned Hip 31 who was a $1.25 million bay colt sold to agent Mike Ryan. Spendthrift bred the colt out of the grade 3 winner Sixtythreecaliber, who the farm raced with MyRacehorse and trainer Tom Amoss.
Sixtythreecaliber is a daughter of Gun Runner who won the 2022 Comely Stakes (G3) and placed third in the Indiana Oaks (G3) the same year. She also ran second in the 2023 Shawnee Stakes (G3). Hip 31 is her first foal. She also produced a full sister to Hip 31 this year.
Into Mischief also was represented by Hip 144, a $1 million bay filly out of the unraced Speightstown mare Bunskie, who produced a winner with her first foal. Yulong Investments bred Hip 144, who was consigned by Brookdale as agent.
Marc Gunderson, signing as MWG, bought the filly who is from the female family of Stage Magic, the dam of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Bunskie is a half sister to graded stakes winners Three Witches (Into Mischief), Spellbound (Bernardini), and Kid Cruz (Lemon Drop Kid).
Voodoo Lily is Bunskie's second dam and the dam of Magical Illusion, who is the dam of Stage Magic.
Nyquist's Top Seller Goes For $1.2 Million
Top 4 leading North American sire Nyquist got his seven-figure representative when Hip 39 sold for $1.2 million to partners St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds, Lane's End Racing, and Belladonna Racing. Gainesway consigned Hip 39 as agent.
The dark bay or brown colt was bred by Justice Stables and had been sold for $525,000 during the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale to an entity called En Fuego. Justice Stables bred the colt out of the stakes-placed Lemon Drop Kid mare Sorrentina Lemon, whose second dam is stakes winner Naughty Notions and the dam of grade 1 winner and 2009 Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Negligee.
