Crisp Bluegrass mornings greet a world gathering of patrons and sellers at Keeneland for its fall fixture, the Keeneland November Breeding Inventory Sale, which Nov. 10 at 1:00 p.m. ET and continues for 9 extra classes starting at 10 a.m. day by day Nov. 11-19.
A complete of three,603 horses cataloged embrace in-foal broodmares, weanlings, and racing prospects together with 285 horses of racing age. Stallions represented by their first foals embrace grade 1 winners Audible , Omaha Beach , Mitole , Vino Rosso , and Yoshida .
“We are optimistic about the sale in general,” said Cormac Breathnach, director of sales operations at Keeneland. “In September, we saw an electric atmosphere and robust trade from Book 1 through to the last day, which was represented in large part by the hunger from domestic buyers looking to race and people getting into the industry expanding their holdings. We expect that will trickle over into November with people looking to expand their breeding stock, adding foals to pinhook or quality mares.
“We feel the catalog is extremely deep with a large number of offerings for a variety of buyers,” Breathnach continued. “With the market dynamic and momentum we saw in September along with all sales throughout the world, we are expecting to kick off the largest breeding stock sale in the world with a bang.”
From a catalog totaling 3,804 last year, Keeneland reported 2,287 horses sold for gross receipts of $157,822,800 over nine days of selling. The cumulative average was $69,009 with a $25,000 median. Nine horses sold for seven figures.
(L-R): Tony Lacy and Cormac Breathnach at Keeneland
Final yr’s sale-topper was grade 1 winner Concrete Rose , purchased by Larry Best’s OXO Equine for $1.95 million from the Lane’s End consignment on behalf of Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing. The Twirling Candy filly achieved top-level success in the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T) as a 3-year-old, along with wins in the Edgewood Stakes presented by Forcht Bank (G3T) and Florida Oaks (G3T) that same year.
This year’s offerings start with a Book 1 showcase including several fillies that possessed top racing form. These include grade 1 winners such as Maxim Rate (Hip 191), winner of this year’s Gamely Stakes (G1); and Paris Lights (Hip 224D), who won the 2020 Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) and is out of an active family.
“Charmaine’s Mia (Hip 172) finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), which is a nice update,” said Tony Lacy, Keeneland’s vice president of sales. “And, we have Look Me Over , who is a half to Corniche , who was extremely impressive in the TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1). He has put himself as a horse at the top of the roster for next year.”
ELiTE Sales will usher the Paris Lights, a 4-year-old daughter of Curlin , through the ring on the first day of the sale.
Bradley Weisbord, founder and managing partner of ELiTE, said Paris Lights is the headliner for their consignment this year.
“She is the third grade 1 winner by Curlin to ever be offered at the sales, which is exciting,” he said. “On top of winning the Coaching Club American Oaks this year, she also went seven-eighths of a mile in the Distaff Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack. With not solely her race document however on high of that her pedigree, she needs to be a high feminine on provide at Keeneland.”
Different Guide 1 choices by ELiTE embrace grade 2 winner Vault (Hip 149), by Jump Start, who won the Ruffian Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park this yr and grade 2 stakes-winning New and Improved (Hip 199), the latter offered in foal to first-crop sire Authentic on an April cover date, according to Weisbord, who gave a quick rundown of other ELiTE offerings.
“Eliade (Hip 106) is a stakes winner in France and is in foal to War Front ; she is by Teofilo . Her 2-year-old sister was recently stakes placed,” he said. “Donjah (Hip 100) is a European group 1 winner. We have a total of three mares by Teofilo; the latter being Hip 220, Miss Teheran , a grade 3-placed broodmare prospect. Zee Drop (Hip 60) is a grade 2-placed filly in foal to Medaglia d’Oro, who had a grade 3 winner Nov. 7 in New York.”
Mark Taylor of Taylor Made Sales, a leading consignor in North America with 380 horses cataloged to the sale, said the agency’s draft offers something for every buyer.
Horologist at the Keeneland November Sale
“We have a blockbuster set of horses, eight graded stakes winners that have just come off the track,” he said. “Monday morning, we had both Horologist (Hip 200) and Charmaine’s Mia (Hip 172) ship in from the Breeders’ Cup. To see two fillies that have been campaigning for a while come in and look that good, it’s a testament to Phil D’Amato (trainer of Charmaine’s Mia) and Bill Mott (trainer of Horologist) that they sent these mares. They look fantastic, are clean-legged, in great condition, and look like they could continue running or join the broodmare band.
“On the pregnant mare side, the queen of the show is Downside Scenario (Hip 101),” Taylor added. “She is a young Scat Daddy mare whose first foal is Mutasaabeq , who is a grade 2 winner at 2 at Keeneland and grade 1-placed on the grime and is coming again this yr at 3 from just a little harm he obtained when he was on the Derby path. She is in foal to Into Mischief , whose yearlings have had a great year,” Taylor continued. “Keeneland November its about quality and quantity. There are tons of horses and the quality goes back into the later books, not just in Book 1.”
Mark Taylor at Keeneland
“Quite honestly, the two November sales are the tide that raises the boats,” Lacy said. “When our clients do well at both sales, they do well everywhere. The industry must be healthy and, as we advance to next year, it helps encourage people to invest.”
