Keeneland September Sale

5th-GP, $89K, MSW, 4yo/up, 7 1/2fT, 2:09pm EST Trainer Todd Pletcher offers up a pair of seven-figure sales horses making their belated debuts. Victorious Racing LLC's SWORDOFHONOR (IRE) (Siyouni {Fr}) sports some pretty flashy credentials. The €1.5 million Arqana August yearling purchase is a half-brother to the year-older Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}), a two-time Group 1 winner as a juvenile who subsequently won last summer's G2 Celebration Mile S. at Goodwood. Consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux and purchased by Oliver St Lawrence, the bay was the second highest-priced...

Sporting the distinctive gold square on the front and back of Luis Saez's silks, it was first time starter Amor Fati (Liam's Map) who loved the lead and never relinquished it en route to becoming a 'TDN Rising Star' at Gulfstream Park on Sunday afternoon. The $375,000 Keeneland September grad posted a number of sharp works for trainer Brittany Russell over the past two months at her Palm Meadows base. Debuting as the 2-1 favorite here, the gray rocketed to the lead up the backstretch. Setting a strong pace up...

2nd-GP, $89K, Msw, 3yo, f, 7f, 12:38 p.m. ET. Whisper Hill homebred TAP MY BELLE (Tapit) makes her first start for trainer Ralph Nicks. The gray is out GI Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic heroine Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled's Song), who was bred and raced by Gary Seidler and Peter Vegso. Initially, she was purchased by Brushwood Stable for $2.8 million as the fourth highest price at the 2011 Keeneland November Sale. Five years later at the same auction, Whisper Hill made the mare the sales topper when Mandy Pope took her...

1st-AQU, $80k, Msw, 3yo, f, 1m, post time: 12:50 p.m. ET WEATHER DELAY (Curlin), the first foal out of MGISW American Gal (Concord Point), kicks off her career for Repole Stable and trainer Todd Pletcher. The 3-year-old was a $500,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase. Carrying the colors of Kaleem Shah, American Gal captured the 2017 GI Longines Test S. at Saratoga and the following term's GI Humana Distaff S. at Churchill Downs. She was also third as the favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. American Gal brought $3...

As 2023 draws to a close, the TDN is asking industry members to name their favorite moment of the year. Send yours to suefinley@thetdn.com. The most memorable moment of 2023 was our Keeneland September yearling class assembling at the sale. I always look forward to that two-week stretch and the excitement surrounding all the new horses we bring into the stable. Twice this year, I thought we were finished buying...once after picking up the Caracaro filly and again after we bought the War of Will filly we were (and still...

Keeneland's Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach previews Keeneland's Fall Stars Weekend and the upcoming November Sale.

1st-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 6:00 p.m. WITHOUT CAUSE (Omaha Beach) tackles two turns over the turf in this debut run. Dam Without (Tiznow), out of MGSW Mary's Follies (More Than Ready), is a half-sister to GIII Transylvania S. victor Night Prowler (Giant's Causeway), champion female turf horse Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) and Japanese champion dirt horse Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah). Trained by Mark Casse, the $180,000 Keeneland September Yearling sale graduate will have Adam Beschizza in the saddle. Also out for her first test is Bridewood Farm...

A colt by Practical Joke led the way Wednesday, kicking off Book 5 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington. Consigned by Bluewater Sales, Hip 2980 is out of Jetbird (Wildcat Heir), a half-sister to Group 1 winner X Y Jet (Kantharos). "We were prepared [for the $250,000 price] because of the entire package," said CJ Thoroughbred's Corey Johnson. "We felt between $200,000-$250,000 was what it was going to take to purchase him. We were expecting somewhere around that number." On Day 9, Ashford's Practical Joke was the second...

Alex Penn wasn't at Keeneland when his family's Penn Sales sent their first seven-figure yearling through the ring during Book 1 of the September Sale. He was back home in Bourbon County, busy prepping the rest of their consignment's yearlings pointing for the later books. "They were all drinking champagne and I was grooming horses," he said as he jokingly nudged his wife Kendra and laughed, because really, he wouldn't have it any other way. His family's business was founded a century ago as an all-purpose farm--over the years raising...

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...

1st-DMR, $82K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5fT, 6:00 p.m. PERSIA (War Front), making her juvenile debut for breeder Ramona Bass and her son Perry, is the first offspring to race out of Miss Temple City (Temple City), who posted two of her three career Grade I wins against the boys. Purchased by Steve Young for $2.5 million at Fasig-Tipton November in 2017, Miss Temple City is a full-sister to GSW Pricedtoperfection, herself a $775,000 FTKNOV grad. Trained by Richard Mandella, Persia will have the services of Hector Berrios. Also entered is...

The TDN sat down with WinStar Farm President and CEO Elliott Walden for the next installment in this ongoing series presented in cooperation with the Consignors and Breeders Association (CBA). Through conversations with buyers and sellers, the series looks to contribute to the discussion on radiograph findings and their impact on racetrack success. Elliott Walden had already enjoyed Classic success as a trainer with 1998 GI Belmont S. winner Victory Gallop when he joined WinStar Farm in 2002. He has served as CEO of the operation-- which has produced success...