Bernardini Colt Tops Book 3 Finale

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale's Book 3 section concluded Monday with a solid session and a colt by Bernardini bringing top price of $600,000 as figures continued ahead of 2015 numbers.

In Book 3 sessions held Sunday and Monday, Keeneland sold 555 yearlings for a gross of $44,178,500. The average was $79,601–a 5% increase from last year's Book 3–and the median was up 18.2% to $65,000. The top Book 3 price was realized during Sunday's session when a colt by Pioneerof the Nile sold for $700,000, one of nine to bring $300,000 or more in the section.

During last year's Book 3 session, 536 yearlings sold for $40,652,500. The average was $75,844 and the median was $55,000. The top price was $975,000. Nine horses sold for $300,000 or more.

“It was a very steady session today,” commented Keeneland's Director of Sales Geoffrey Russell. “Overall, it was a good, solid, steady Book 3. The buyers have found their comfort level–we saw that last week in Book 1–and I think that has continued on at that upper level in Book 3. When they set their minds on a horse, they are happy to spend the money.”

Ben Glass, racing manager for Gary and Mary West, purchased Monday's top-priced lot when going to $600,000 for hip 1928, a son of Bernardini, consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency on behalf of Godolphin.

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan, who has signed for 27 yearlings for a total of $7,250,000 and an average of $268,519 during the seven September sessions, purchased the day's second highest-priced lot, going to $485,000 for a son of Curlin (hip 1843) from the Lane's End consignment.

Russell looks for the strength of the September sale's first three books to trickle down to the remaining sessions of the auction.

“I think it bodes well for the rest of the sale that there are a lot of people out there that haven't filled their orders yet,” Russell said. “We hope that those who haven't been able to buy in Book 3 are now still hanging around for Book 4. Different groups of people are starting to arrive; we've seen the Koreans on the [results] page, hopefully we will see more Russian people on the pages and different flavors of North Americans also starting to arrive. So we look forward to their participation for the rest of the week.”

The Keeneland September sale continues through Sunday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Bernardini Colt to Wests

A colt by Bernardini, one of approximately 60 yearlings bred by Godolphin catalogued to sell during the 13-day auction, topped Monday's session of the Keeneland September sale when bringing a final bid of $600,000 from Ben Glass, racing manager to Gary and Mary West.

“He is a nice colt and I know that [Godolphin] is selling some of their yearlings because they have too many,” Glass commented. “He is a nice colt and usually you don't get a chance to buy them, so you have to take the opportunity when you get it.”

Hip 1928 is out of With Sugar on Top (Unbridled's Song), a daughter of graded stakes winner Fast Cookie (Depuy Minister) and a half-sister to Godolphin's multiple Grade I winner Frosted (Tapit). Juvenile champion Midshipman is also in the family. He was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

“He's a racy, athletic-looking horse with a great walk,” Glass continued. “If he cuts the mustard, he'll be a great stallion prospect.”

The dark bay colt came to hand at the perfect time, according to Taylor Made's Mark Taylor.

“He was a nice horse and he has really improved a lot since the spring,” Taylor said. “When we saw him in the spring, we thought he was nice but a little bit on the small side and a little bit backward. I hadn't seen him in a couple of months, but when he came into the sale, I was really wow'ed by his transformation.”

Explaining the yearling's placement in Book 3, Taylor said, “Within our Taylor Made consignment, we had a number of Bernardinis, so we tried to allocate them out between Books 1, 2 and a couple in 3. We thought he would stand out there and he did, but in retrospect, if we had known he was going to look like that back in the spring, he would have been in Book 1. He was a beautiful horse.”

Of the colt's final price tag, Taylor added, “I thought he was going to sell really well, but that was more than I thought. I didn't know if there was still that kind of money left, but obviously if you bring in the right horse, they are going to find them and there is still plenty of money around.”

As part of global cutbacks, Godolphin sold 72 fillies at this summer's Tattersalls July sale, as well as 33 fillies at the Inglis Australian Broodmare and Weanling Sale in May.

Curlin Colt Jump Starts Keeneland Monday

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan, bidding on behalf of an undisclosed client, went to $485,000 to secure a colt by Curlin early in Monday's seventh session of the Keeneland September sale.

“We bought [2013 GI Belmont S. winner] Palace Malice from the first crop of Curlin and this yearling reminded me a lot of Palace Malice–bay, lengthy,” Ryan said after signing the ticket on hip 1843. “There is a tremendous amount of Smart Strike in him as well. He has a great mind on him–he's a very stoic horse. Those elite horses have that special quality that I think he is.”

The bay colt, consigned by Lane's End, agent, is outof Sing Like a Bird (Lawyer Ron), a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Wiredfortwotwenty (Greatness) and from the family of Grade I winner Little Baby Bear. He was bred by Happy Hill Farm, which purchased Sing Like a Bird for $225,000 as a 2-year-old at the 2011 Fasig-Tipton Florida sale. The mare's first foal, a colt by Smart Strike, sold for $120,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

The colt's final price tag, which led early returns on the day, was no surprise to Ryan.

“You saw the second to last horse through the ring last night, the Pioneerof the Nile colt, bring $700,000,” he explained. “You've still got big players here, Bob Baffert is still here, Patti Miller for Zayat Stables. The good ones, people want them. They will pay for a good horse.”

Of the strength of the upper market, Ryan continued, “I saw it at Saratoga, it was plenty strong for a good one, but to be honest, I didn't expect it to be this strong. From $150,000 and up, it's really strong. People are very thorough. They know what they like. If they like them, they will go on them.”