Finesse, a 3-year-old half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner and recent PNC Bank Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) runner-up Society in foal to Nyquist, sold to Dixiana Farms for $900,000 to record the highest price of Thursday’s third session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. 

On Thursday, the second and final day of Book 2, Keeneland sold 212 horses through the ring for $33,796,500, down 3.69% from the third session of the 2023 sale when 231 horses grossed $35,092,000. The average of $159,417 rose 4.94% from last year’s $151,913. The median jumped 20.45% from $110,000 to $132,500.

Through three sessions, 556 horses have sold through the ring for $125,606,500, an increase of 1.41% from the corresponding period in 2023 when the 564 horses grossed $123,860,000. The average of $225,911 rose 2.87% from last year’s $219,610, and the median of $170,000 was up 13.33% from $150,000.  

“The sale was really solid today, very competitive,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “Buyers were finding it very difficult to buy the foals and young mares they liked. I followed up on a few and they were bringing 30% to 40% more than I would have expected them to bring, which was great. It shows the demand for quality through the market. 

“As we wrap up the first three days of the sale, Book 1 was very healthy with about $64 million in transactions and a healthy post-sale rate,” Lacy said. “Now we’re seeing a 20% jump in the median today and over 13% for the sale to date. That’s pretty solid and not overheated in any way. The market is really rewarding quality.”

Session topper Finesse, who was consigned by Warrendale Sales, agent, is out of the Tapit mare Etiquette and from the family of Grade 2 winners Black Cash and Rookie Sensation as well as Grade 3 winners Pleasant Prince and Mark One. 

“She is just very pretty,” Dixiana’s Bill Shively said. “It’s a good family. It’s very hard to buy a good horse, right? It’s what we’re looking for at Dixiana, just really quality. I think she’ll be great for a long time.”

“We’re over the moon,” Warrendale’s Kitty Day said. “It was fantastic. She was well past her reserve at that level, but she’s just a beautiful physical, in foal to a horse that is on fire, with a family that goes with it and in foal on one cover with a filly. It was a perfect storm.”

Dixiana Farms led buyers for the session, spending $1.1 million for two horses.

Veronica Greene, a 5-year-old daughter of Tapit in foal to Justify, sold to Brunacini for $725,000. Out of stakes winner Adorable Miss, by Kitten’s Joy, she is a half-sister to stakes winner Cugino and from the family of Grade 3 winner Noble Beauty. 

“She had everything,” buyer Richard Brunacini said. “She is by Tapit, she is in foal to Justify, and she is just beautiful. She is a young mare, having a first baby, and her conformation, everything is perfect. I couldn’t fault her. She is going to go to Gunston Hall (Farm) and stay in Lexington.”

Asked why he and his wife, Denise, came to Keeneland to buy today, Brunacini answered, “We sold a colt the first day. We’ve had a good year selling.”

On Tuesday, the Brunacinis sold a weanling colt from the first crop of champion Epicenter they bred and consigned with Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, for $225,000.

Veronica Greene was consigned by ELiTE, agent for White Birch Farm.

“I thought she was one of the best mares in the sale today,” ELiTe’s Liz Crow said. “She has two half-brothers that are running in stakes this weekend (Cugino in the Hill Prince-G3 at Aqueduct and Battle of Normandy in the River City-G3 at Churchill Downs). She’s in foal to Justify, a tremendously good cover. She could run herself: She was stakes-placed behind a Grade 1 winner in New York. She’s by Tapit. I just thought it was one of the better families in the catalog today. She looked tremendous coming in here, so we were kind of expecting that she would be one of the top mares today.”

Shimokobe Farm/Polo Green Stables, agent, purchased Grade 3 winner Witwatersrand, a 3-year-old filly by Connect, for $525,000. Out of the winning Medaglia d’Oro mare Carta de Oro and from the family of multiple Grade 3 winner Communique, she was consigned by Bluewater Sales, agent.

“First of all, I saw the father, Connect, and she was very exactly like that: smooth-moving and light,” buyer Yukio Shimokobe said. “Ilove that and she (has the same walk). She had a good breeder (G. Watts Humphrey Jr.) and a good pedigree, so everything was perfect to me. We will see what stallion fits her. We will breed her (in the U.S.) and then take her back to Japan.” 

Albaugh Family Stable paid $450,000 for Medaglia Mo, a 5-year-old daughter of Medaglia d’Oro in foal to Life Is Good. Out of Grade 2 winner Mokat, by Uncle Mo, she is from the family of Grade 2 winners Smok’n Frolic and Frolic’s Dream. Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for Siena Farm Dispersal of Breeding Stock, consigned the mare.

Taylor Made Sales Agency was the session’s leading consignor by selling 35 horses for $5,849,000.

David Latham, agent, went to $420,000 for Round Hill Road, a 3-year-old daughter of Quality Road in foal to Justify. Consigned by ELiTE, agent, she is out of Grade 2 winner Paid Up Subscriber, by Candy Ride (ARG) and from the family of Grade 2 winner Stanley Park. 

Three horses sold for $400,000 each.

Shimokobe Farm/Polo Green Stables, agent, spent the amount for stakes winner Unifying, a 4-year-old filly by Union Rags. Out of the Arch mare Monarchia and from the family of Grade 2 winner and sire Interactif, she was consigned by Denali Stud, agent.

BSW/Crow paid $400,000 for Honey Pants, a 6-year-old stakes winner by Cairo Prince in foal to Jack Christopher. Consigned by ELiTE, agent, she is out of the Afternoon Deelites mare Queens Carousel and from the family of Grade 1 winner One in Vermillion.

Flying Dutchmen spent $400,000 to acquire Thursday’s top-priced weanling, a colt from the first crop of Grade 1 winner Life Is Good. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, he is the first foal out of Grade 2-placed winner Lady Aces, by Constitution, and from the family of Grade 1 winner Paradise Woods and Grade 3 winner and sire Mr. Greeley.

“The demand for first-crop sires is always high, but the entry stud fee level and some of the glitz and glamour that came with this class, it looks deep,” Keeneland Senior Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach said. “There are several really well-credentialed first-crop sires this year, and they’ve obviously thrown very good physicals because people are responding. Life Is Good, Olympiad and others did very well today.”

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The November Sale resumes Friday and continues through Wednesday, Nov. 13 with all sessions beginning at 10 a.m. ET.

On Thursday, Nov. 14, Keeneland will hold the November Horses of Racing Age Sale. The auction starts at noon.

All Keeneland sales are streamed live on Keeneland.com.