The Keeneland September Yearling Sale began on September 12 with a running start and continued to rally until the end of the first session, when nine horses broke the seven-figure barrier. One Quality Sugar Colt was signed by breeder Stonehaven Steadings as the Hip 97 lead of the day, bringing in $2.5 million from a partnership of Talla Racing, Woodford Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds, with David Ingordo signing tickets as the how to be a LEB agent.
The partnership ended Day 1 as a top purchaser after spending $3,275,000 on two annuities.
“It was a great day from start to finish, and we saw a lot of people in the sales booth like us, the house was packed, all the people in the chairs, it was really exciting,” said Shannon Arvin, owner. President and CEO of Keeneland said. “It’s a testament to the excitement about racing in general and in Kentucky in particular.”
Session 1 produced impressive results, seeing 118 of the 144 horses through the ring sold for a total of $57,995,000, a 44.3% increase from the opening session of 2021. The average was $491,144 up 28.3% and the median was $442,500, up 42.7% over the same period last year. There were 26 horses that failed to meet their reserves, exhibiting an RNA ratio of 18.1%, down 44.4% from last year.
Tony Lacy and Shannon Arvin at Keeneland
“Just looking at the raw numbers, these are numbers we haven’t seen in recent years, with nine million-dollar horses in the first session, the first time since 2007. ,” said Keeneland’s vice president of sales, Tony Lacy. “The first hip brought in $850,000 and the Hip 8 brought in $1.2 million. We couldn’t find a horse that brought in more than $850,000 like the first horse through the ring in sales history.”
During the opening session of 2021, 105 of the 156 horses on offer were sold for a total value of $40,177,000 with an average price of $382,638 and a median of $310,000. The 51 crested birds that did not meet their reserves accounted for an RNA ratio of 32.69%.
“We’ve got a lot of principals here. To have them come back, enjoy this great sport and get their next champion is amazing,” commented Arvin. “The atmosphere is fun and energetic; it’s been like that for the past three days. It’s exciting to see the results and the prices we hit today.”
At the end of the first sale, Taylor Made Sales Agency ended up as the top shipper after selling 15 horses for a total of $8,115,000 and an average of $541,000. .
John Gunther of Glennwood felt similarly after selling four horses Monday, two of which brought in more than $1 million.
“If you have the right individual, there’s money here for it,” he said. “I think it’s a big drop. It seems like there’s a lot of money around. We never rest (at the warehouse).”
Mark Taylor of Taylor Made Sales Agency
“Overall, there have been a lot of over-stocked bids for 80% of our horses. I had to give it to our breeders and sellers because we preached to them about it. buy and sell,” So far, it’s been a great market, but don’t test your brain at the door. ‘ You have to be realistic and put in realistic reserves, which paid off today. We’ve got great payout rates and that gets me excited for the rest of the sale,” said Mark Taylor of Taylor Made Sales Agency.
“We feel that the statistic, 48 of the 118 sold that brought in $500,000 or more is pretty big. There are a lot of happy people here for the cause today,” Lacy commented. “There’s always a lot of anxiety about being new on the first day, it’s too early, and I think that’s been put aside after things are going. We want to learn what we did here today. and try to improve it for next time. enthusiastic about racing at the moment, i think we are in a golden age and i think we have to learn not to take anything for granted and find a way develop and strive forward.”
Sale continues September 13 with Hips 191-371 starting at 1 p.m. ET. Currently, there are 41 horses withdrawn from session 2.
Arvin added: “We would like to thank the shippers and breeders who worked with us on this format, and we are delighted that the numbers proved what we hoped for.”
