Tony Lacy

Grade I winner Vahva (Gun Runner--Holiday Soiree, by Harlan's Holiday) has been entered in Book 1 of the November Breeding Stock Sale on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Lane's End, agent, will consign Vahva, who is cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect. She will become the first Grade I-winning daughter of Gun Runner to be offered at public auction, according to a Keeneland release Tuesday. Vahva is nominated to the GII Thoroughbred Club of America on Saturday during Fall Stars Weekend on Keeneland's opening three days. "Vahva is a high-class competitor...

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale, which set its record gross with a full six sessions to go, concluded its 12-day run Saturday in Lexington with new highwater marks for, not just gross, but also average, median and total number of million-dollar-plus offerings. "What an incredible September sale," Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. "We definitely had reasons to be optimistic going in, but the strength of the results day after day exceeded even our highest expectations. From start to finish, the energy on the grounds never waned. Buyers from...

An Ashview Stud-consigned colt by Liam's Map (hip 3681) became the last of 29 horses to breach the $100,000 threshold during the second of two sessions in Book 5A of the Keeneland September Sale in Lexington Thursday afternoon, selling to bloodstock agent Chad Schumer, agent, for $480,000. And when the dust had settled on the 10th session of the auction, gross receipts had nudged past $500 million, extending the record for the sale. "Surpassing $500 million at the September Sale marks a pivotal moment for our sport--a milestone the entire...

Taylor Made Sales Agency will offer a share in sire Not This Time at the second edition of the Keeneland Championship Sale, to be held in the Del Mar Paddock on Wednesday, Oct. 29, two days before the Breeders' Cup World Championships, Keeneland said in a press release on Thursday morning. The share will include all income from Not This Time's 2025 breeding season, providing immediate returns, and is offered by Aaron and Marie Jones LLC, an operation that has bred and raised top-class horses for decades. Not This Time...

by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis and Jill Williams LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland September Yearling Sale continued to churn out double-digit year-on-year gains as its second Book 2 session concluded Thursday night with yet another son of Gun Runner leading the way. Through four sessions of the 12-day auction, 671 yearlings have grossed $307,639,000. At this same point a year ago, 640 head had sold for $252,528,000. Asked about the gross surpassing the $300-million mark after day four, Keeneland Senior Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach laughed and said, "It's...

by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis, and Jill Williams LEXINGTON, KY -The only thing that could slow down the momentum of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale was a brief interruption in Wednesday's action when the fire alarms late in the day caused the evacuation of the pavilion. "We joked in the back ring the market was so hot, it set the fire alarms off," Keeneland's Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said with a chuckle after the dust had settled on another competitive day of bidding at the first of two...

by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis, and Jill Williams LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland September Yearling Sale, which opened with a record-setting session Monday, continued with an action-packed second Book 1 session Tuesday, establishing yet another September session record average and median. Twenty horses sold for $1 million or more during the session, led by a colt by Gun Runner and a filly by Flightline who brought matching $2.2 million price tags. "It was a good day at the sale, for sure," said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. "We built on what...

by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis and Jill Williams LEXINGTON, KY - Led by a $3.3-million son of Gun Runner, the Keeneland September Yearling Sale powered through a record-setting opening session Monday in Lexington. When the dust had settled after the first of two elite Book 1 sessions, 106 yearlings had sold for $69,240,000. The average was $653,208--the highest ever at a single September session--and the median was $537,500. With just 28 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 20.90%. Those figures are ahead of last year's opening session, when...

During this year's Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, Len and Jon Green's D.J. Stable will offer a curated reduction of its bloodstock portfolio consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the auction house said in a press release on Thursday. While their reduction represents a meaningful milestone, the Greens remain as committed as ever to the sport. D.J. Stable will continue to be active in racing and at future sales, with plans to invest in new opportunities and further grow their presence in the sport. "This is a one-time offering--strategic and...

The 2025 Keeneland September Yearling Sale has cataloged 4,686 horses to be offered over 12 sessions from Monday, Sept. 8 through Saturday, Sept. 20, Keeneland announced Tuesday. Click here for the online catalog of yearlings. Print catalogs are scheduled to start arriving in the mail the week of Aug. 18. Last year, the September Sale was the world's highest-grossing Thoroughbred auction in history with more than $428 million in sales for 2,894 horses. A total of 36 yearlings sold for $1 million or more, marking the highest number since 2006....

Most racing fans know Gabby Gaudet from her job at FanDuel TV, where she was one of that network's top talent. It sounds like a dream job, but Gaudet has found one that she thinks will be even better. It was announced last week that Gaudet was named the new Director of Communications at Keeneland. She sat down recently with the TDN to discuss her new job and why she decided to trade in her microphone.    TDN:  The Keeneland job looks like a great job. It's a very prestigious...

Tom Lacy, the renowned breeder of Persian Force who is famed for providing Pat Smullen with his start in racing during his time as a trainer, has died. He was 89.  Lacy rode 50 winners as a jockey and found only Arkle and Flyingbolt too good aboard Height Of Fashion in two Irish Grand Nationals.  As a trainer, he sent out hundreds of winners from his yard in Rhode, County Offaly, spearheaded by Ingabelle, who went on to become a hugely important foundation mare at Ballylinch Stud. But it was...