Tony Lacy

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale has settled into a reliable format over the last several years, starting off its first week with a two-day Book 1 and Book 2, followed by a dark day, before the sale resumes with two-day books through the remainder of the auction. Sales officials said that with an extra dose of quality entries this year, they have decided to conclude the 2025 auction with a four-day Book 5 separated into Parts 1 and 2. Keeneland's Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy, Senior Director of Sales...

Normandy Coast (Omaha Beach), winner of a rained-off renewal of the Listed Palisades Stakes at Keeneland on Apr. 6, was hammered down to owner Steven Judy for a final bid of $355,000 to top Friday's single-session Keeneland April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale. The auction took place following the conclusion of the final day of racing at the adjacent racetrack. A $60,000 purchase out of the 2023 Fasig-Tipton October Sale, Normandy Coast raced for Red Gate Racing and was trained by Eddie Kenneally to three wins from his five...

Keeneland has catalogued 80 horses for its April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale, which will be held the evening of Friday, Apr. 25 following the races on closing day of the Spring Meet, according to a press release from the sales company on Wednesday. Supplemental entries to the April Sale will be accepted until the sale date. The auction, which will be livestreamed on Keeneland.com, will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET following the 10-race card. With a post of 5:09 p.m. ET, the ninth race is the featured GIII...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm Lexington, Ky - The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale concluded its three-day run Wednesday in Lexington with figures largely in line with its four-day 2024 edition. Through three days, 685 head grossed $33,444,900 for an average of $48,825 and a median of $22,000. The average increased 6% and the median rose 47% from last year's four-day sale when 831 horses grossed $38,330,300 for an average of $46,126 and a median of $15,000. The buy-back rate was 26.34% this year compared to 22.84%...

A total of 1,236 horses--including broodmares and broodmare prospects, newly turned yearlings, horses of racing age, stallions and stallion prospects--have been catalogued for the upcoming Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, scheduled to take place in Lexington from Jan. 13-15. "The January sale has opportunities for the new year, whether you are preparing for the breeding season or making plans for your racing stable," Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. "Breeders from around the globe will be focusing on the auction, which has a unique timing advantage...

The 2-year-old filly Alyeska (Vekoma), an eye-catching, come-from-behind debut winner carrying the famed Marylou Whitney silks at Churchill Downs Sept. 20, brought a sale-topping $675,000 from bloodstock agent Steve Young at Keeneland's single-session November Horses of Racing Age sale Thursday, which produced substantial across-the-board increases. Fellow Marylou Whitney homebred and the once-raced 2-year-old colt Captain Cook (Practical Joke), a troubled sixth on debut beneath the Twin Spires Oct. 27, was also purchased by Young for $410,000, the second-most expensive lot of the day. The duo were both previously trained by...

The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale concluded its nine-day run in Lexington Wednesday with vibrant trade from a diverse buying bench leading to across-the-board increases where were highlighted by a new sales record median. "Overall, this was a very strong, fair market from start to finish," Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. "Book 1 gross jumped nearly 15% from last year with a much-improved clearance rate and that momentum powered the sale through the final days." For the nine days, 2,158 horses sold for $196,442,900. The average of...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - Solid trade continued right through the conclusion of the second and final Book 2 section of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale Thursday, with the 3-year-old broodmare Finesse (Street Sense) bringing the section's top price of $900,000 when selling to Dixiana Farms. "It was really solid today," said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. "It was very competitive. I was speaking to a lot of buyers out there, and they were finding it very difficult to buy the foals that...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale produced a day of solid trade with the opening session of its two-day Book 2 section Wednesday in Lexington. For the session, 201 horses grossed $29,440,000. The day's average of $146,468 dipped 9.38% from the corresponding session in 2023, while the median remained unchanged at $120,000. "It was a good, solid day's trade," said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. "I think it was fair. There were some sticky spots, it was a little...

by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis, & Jill Williams LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale opened Tuesday in Lexington with a solid Book 1 session punctuated by nine million-dollar mares purchased by a diverse, international buying bench. Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm made the session's highest bid when purchasing graded-stakes winner Roses For Debra (Liam's Map) for $2.4 million from the Candy Meadows Sales consignment. "It was a very solid, vibrant marketplace," said Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin. "It was a really diverse buying bench. We had...

LEXINGTON, KY--With the Breeders' Cup squarely in the rearview mirror, the breeding stock sales take center stage this week, highlighted by the start of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale Tuesday. This year's November Sale, which has cataloged 3,384 horses, spans a total of nine sessions through Nov. 13. The stand-alone Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale will take place Nov. 14. In 2023, a total of 2,128 horses had sold through the ring for $176,571,000. The average was $82,975, while the median closed out at $32,000. "It's a...

by Steve Sherack & J.N. Campbell  DEL MAR, CA -- A stallion share (2.5% fractional interest) in undefeated 2022 Horse of the Year and GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Flightline (Tapit) brought $2.5 million from Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Farm to top the inaugural Keeneland Championship Sale held in Del Mar's paddock Wednesday evening. The final offering of the sale, the stallion share was consigned by Lane's End Farm as Hip 12. Flightline welcomed his first foals this year and will command a $150,000 stud fee at Lane's End in...