Brian Graves

By Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland September Yearling Sale's first Book 2 session continued right on from where the auction's elite Book 1 section concluded, producing strong results largely in line with last year's record-setting renewal. During Wednesday's session, 209 yearlings sold for $64,024,000. The session average of $306,335 and the median was $255,000. During last year's Book 2 opener, 219 head grossed $66,695,000 for an average of $304,543 and a median of $250,000. With 83 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 28.42%....

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - With the very first horse through the ring bringing $1.3 million, the second session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale was off to the races Tuesday and the action didn't slow down throughout the day as the second-to-last offering brought $1.25 million. In between, 13 other yearlings sold for seven figures, including a colt by Into Mischief who brought top price of $3 million from the partnership of Chuck Sonson, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford. With eight million-dollar yearlings Monday, the...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis The Keeneland September Yearling Sale opened with a packed pavilion and plenty of bidding from a diverse buying bench ultimately producing eight seven-figure sales led by a $2.3-million daughter of Into Mischief. At the end of the session, numbers were largely in line with the figures from the opening session of last year's record-breaking auction. "We were all biting our nails a little bit thinking about being measured up to last year's sale which was so phenomenal," said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. "But the...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale of Selected Yearlings, which looked to have a tough task to live up to its record-smashing 2022 renewal, proved more than equal to that task and, when a fast and frenetic session concluded Tuesday night, the auction had once again set high-water marks for gross and average and tied its record median. "We have experienced some magical nights in Saratoga in the past and you've heard me talk about the Saratoga magic, but we ain't seen...

ELMONT, NY - Breathe easy. Following significant improvement in air quality conditions throughout New York State, the 155th GI Belmont Stakes--celebrating the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's performance of a lifetime in the final leg of the Triple Crown--will go on as scheduled Saturday evening. If there's one sire's name that you want to see when handicapping the 1 1/2-mile Classic, it's Tapit. Responsible for a co-record four Belmont winners, two second-place finishers and two third-place finishers, the 22-year-old Gainesway kingpin will be represented by potential race favorite Tapit Trice (Tapit)...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- There isn't a more expensive sales graduate in the 20-horse field for the GI Kentucky Derby than Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit). The $1.3-million Keeneland September yearling graduate, bred in Kentucky by Antony Beck's operation, has gone on to validate that seven-figure pricetag in spades, bringing a four-race winning streak into the first Saturday in May off the heels of eye-catching, come-from-behind victories for Todd Pletcher in the GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby and GI Toyota Blue Grass S....

LEXINGTON, KY--The market remained competitive as Book 3 of the Keeneland November Sale closed its two-day run Friday with a frenzy of activity towards the end of the session. After a slow, but steady beginning to the day, Spritz (Awesome Again) (Hip 1747) commanded everyone's attention deep into the session, topping the day's action at $550,000 from Gary Holland's Kamden Racing. She is carrying her first foal by Quality Road. The day's co-second-highest priced offering came just six hips later when the Brogdens fended off all comers for a mare...

Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stable and LNJ Foxwoods' Olympiad (Speightstown--Tokyo Time, Medaglia d'Oro) will take up stallion duties at Gainesway Farm upon his retirement from racing. To date, Olympiad has won eight of 12 career starts, including five graded stakes victories, highlighted by the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup. Having already amassed over $2-million in earnings, the 4-year-old is expected to make his next start in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland next month. Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, Olympiad captured five graded victories this season, beginning...

Ryan Norton, who previously served as stallion director at Darby Dan Farm, has been named the new stallion director at Gainesway, the farm announced Thursday. Norton had been at Darby Dan since 2002, starting in the sales division before being named stallion director in 2005. "Ryan brings with him over 20 years of experience in his field," said Gainesway General Manager Brian Graves. "Ryan's meticulous nature will make him the perfect person to give our clients and customers a great experience conducting business with Gainesway Farm." A native of Winchester,...

By Christie DeBernardis and Jessica Martini A $1.4-million son of super sire Into Mischief (Hip 604) led a sextet of seven-figure sellers during the opening session of Book 2 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale Wednesday. Consigned by Summerfield on behalf of Stonestreet Stables, the colt was purchased by Larry Best of OXO Equine. With six horses eclipsing the million-dollar mark Wednesday, the sale total now comes to 28. During the equivalent session last year, just two yearlings brought seven figures, including the $1.7-million sale topper. "It was a great...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--Fasig-Tipton marks 101 years of selling at Saratoga Monday with the start of its highly anticipated Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale. The Saratoga Sale is known for offering some of the country's top yearlings, many of whom have quite the star-studded pedigrees. The 2022 catalogue, which features 216 yearlings, is no exception. "It's just a fantastic collection of yearlings, both in terms of pedigree and the physical conformation," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said. "We were excited all spring when we were going to the farms with the interest and...

LEXINGTON, KY - The yearling sales season kicks off Tuesday with the Fasig-Tipton July Sale of Selected Yearlings at Newtown Paddocks in Lexington. Bidding at the one-session auction begins at 10 a.m. "We're optimistic," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said of expectations for the sale. "We've seen a very solid 2-year-old marketplace throughout the spring. There is demand for quality horses, certainly plenty of interest. Racing is pretty good right now." On a balmy Monday morning in Lexington, buyers were out in force and consignors were busy showing yearlings to a...