By Jessica Martini
After a one-day break, selling resumes at the 13-day Keeneland September Yearling Sale Friday with the first of two Book 2 sessions. Action, which was solid during Monday's opening session of the sale, increased noticeably through each of three Book 1 sessions, reaching a frenetic crescendo Wednesday, and Keeneland's Director of Sales Geoffrey Russell looks for the auction to continue on strongly when bidding resumes at 10 a.m. Friday.
“We are looking forward to the sale carrying on from a very robust Book 1,” Russell said. “The sales grounds for Book 2 for the last two days have been very busy and consignors are very pleased with traffic through the barns. We are very hopeful that the momentum created by Book 1 will continue on into the next books.”
Through three sessions of the September sale, Keeneland has sold 346 yearlings for a total of $120,225,000 and an average of $347,471. Eight horses have sold for $1 million or more, including the $3-million sale-topping son of the late Scat Daddy.
“Overall, I thought the whole Book 1 was very good,” Russell continued. “The first two days were solid without being spectacular, but they were still very good. The average was over $300,000 the first two days and it was $400,000 Wednesday. That's spectacular for any sale.”
The sales barns were a mass of wall-to-wall shoppers Thursday and consignors are hopeful that activity will bode well for Book 2 numbers.
“Moving into Book 2, there is deep, very strong demand and we've been seeing a very good cross-section of trainers and bloodstock agents here at barn 30, both Wednesday and all day Thursday,” reported Gainesway's Michael Hernon. “The buyers are particular. They are looking for the athletic, correct horse who vets well–that is more of the same–but they are willing to pay a good price for those horses. I am optimistic that we will have strong trade Friday and that it will be a deep, strong market for the next few days at least.”
The Keeneland September sale continues through Sept. 25 with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.
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