A Saturday Surge in Median, Average

by Lucas Marquardt 

The magic number at Keeneland November Saturday? $230,000. That was the high-water mark achieved by not one but four co-session toppers during the opening of the marathon sale’s Book 3. The quartet included a weanling colt from the first crop of GISW Bodemeister (Empire Maker), as well as mares by Cherokee Run, Touch Gold and Smart Strike. 

In truth, though, the numbers that caught the most attention were those that reflected the positive gains in average and median yesterday. During a lively session of trading, 257 horses sold for $15,538,500. The resulting average of $60,461 was up 18% from a year ago, when the session average was $51,240. The median enjoyed an even bigger jump, going from $40,000 to $50,000, a 25% increase. The RNA rate was an acceptable 21.2%, up from 14.3% in 2013. 

The cumulative average now stands at $159,123, up 7.7%, while the median is $90,000, up 5.9%. The cumulative RNA rate is 22.8%, up from 18.3%. 

“The comments we got from the auction stand was that it was a lot of fun to sell today,” said Keeneland Director of Sales Geoffrey Russell. “There was competitive, spirited bidding from start to finish on mares and foals. We saw a lot of familiar names of people who play in the middle market. WinStar was the leading buyer. And Calumet, Gainesway, and Whisper Hill all bought today. It was a good session.” 

WinStar’s upstart stallion Bodemeister had a big afternoon. Not only did he sire the day’s top-priced weanling, but one of the session’s top-priced mares sold in foal to him. The top weanling was a WinStar-bred son of GISW Awesome Humor (Distorted Humor) who was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency as Hip 1327. Gerry Dilger signed the ticket as L D Bloodstock. 

While the colt established the $230,000 mark, three others would later match it. 

They included the Bluewater Sales-consigned Divine Dispatch (Touch Gold), a full-sister to GISW Composure and GSW Ready Set who was offered in foal to the red-hot freshman Super Saver as Hip 1407. Gainesway purchased the 5-year-old mare, whose first foal is a Divine Park weanling filly. 

Also hitting the $230,000 level was Sweetest Sound (Smart Strike), a 5-year-old mare selling late in the day through Lane’s End as Hip 1670. Whisper Hill Farm’s Mandy Pope, sitting by herself in the pavilion, won out for the unraced full to MGSP Saint Vigeur and half to GSP Sweet Bliss (Street Cry {Ire}). Sweetest Sound, selling in foal to Twirling Candy, was produced by a three-parts sister to champion juvenile Sweet Catomine (Storm Cat) and the GI Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic winner Life is Sweet (Storm Cat). Lane’s End sold her for the connections of those top racefillies, Pam and Marty Wygod. 

Filling out the $230,000 club was that mare who sold in foal to Bodemeister, Cherokee Jewel (Cherokee Run), who was hammered down to WinStar for $230,000, and who has given her connections a lucrative run of late. 

Like Divine Dispatch, Cherokee Jewel was sold by Meg Levy’s Bluewater Farm, going through the ring as Hip 1369. It was Meg’s husband Mike Levy who purchased Cherokee Jewel, in foal to Speightstown, for $75,000 at the 2012 Keeneland November Sale. Mike was acting on behalf of Mike Moreno’s Southern Equine Stable, which, just before the GI Kentucky Derby in 2012, had bought into Bodemeister. As Bodemeister prepared to head to the breeding shed that fall, Mike Levy and Mike Moreno purchased about 10 mares to support the young stallion, including Cherokee Jewel. 

It didn’t take Moreno long to get into the black on the mare. The foal Cherokee Jewel was carrying was Bayerd, who sold for $135,000 at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton October Sale, and who this year has been very good for trainer Steve Asmussen. Bayerd broke his maiden at Saratoga by 11 1/2 lengths in August, then shipped to win the Kip Deville S. at Remington Sept. 28. On Friday night, he ran second at odds-on in the Clever Trevor S. at Remington. 

That helped the chances of a Speightstown full-sister to Bayerd who was offered by Bluewater at the October Sale just a few weeks ago. That yearling filly, already named Speightstastic, was hammered down to Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch for $160,000. 

Yesterday’s sale of Cherokee Jewel concluded Moreno’s run with the mare, who helped generate $525,000 in gross auction revenue for her connections, including her own sale and the sale of her two Speightstown yearlings. 

Keeneland November resumes today at 10:00 a.m. and runs through Friday, Nov. 14. For more, visit www.keeneland.com.