Opening day of Keeneland’s 2024 September Yearling Sale featured vibrant trade among the world’s major buyers, resulting in double-digit gains in average and median prices and the sale of 14 horses for $1 million or more, highlighted by a colt by Gun Runner sold for $2.2 million to Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm. 

Total sales for 98 horses were $54,795,000, nearly even with last year’s first session gross of $55,330,000 when 110 yearlings, including eight seven-figure horses, sold. The average of $559,133 was 11.16% above last year’s $503,000, and the median rose 12.50% from $400,000 to $450,000. 

“Today we saw healthy diversity on all fronts, among buyers – both domestic and international – consignors and stallions representing yearlings sold,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “The top 21 highest-priced horses sold to 20 different buyers. Japanese and Middle Eastern interests participated, and of course domestic buyers were very active. A lot of principals are here.

“It’s just the beginning of the sale, which is exciting too,” Arvin added. “We all have a lot of confidence in the marketplace. Breeders have obviously worked very hard, and we appreciate them selling their horses with us. They’ve brought the very best to market so it’s going to be fun to watch.”

“That was a fun day,” Keeneland Vice President Tony Lacy agreed. “We thought it was going to be energetic and a good solid, healthy market. We’re very, very pleased with the way it came out of the gate. We really appreciate the consignors and breeders who supported us. We put a lot of effort into promoting Book 1 as the dominant marketplace in the country. Everything we do here is for the benefit of the buyers, our customers, to create the right environment. And we saw that today.” 

Out of the stakes-winning Tapit mare Princesa Carolina, the $2.2 million colt was consigned by Four Star Sales, agent, and was bred by Three Chimneys Farm.

“He’s an amazing horse,” Todd Quast of Whisper Hill said. “He’s got everything: the looks, the shoulder, the hip, the movement. We do a lot with Three Chimneys, so we know he was raised right. We’re just super happy to have him. (The purchase price is) what it takes to get these good prospects that have a chance to be a stallion that look like that. He really looks the part.”

“We brought the right horse, by the right stallion, out of the right mare, with the right physical,” Chris Baker of Three Chimneys said. “(The sale is) very gratifying for the team at home. We felt he was a seven-figure colt all along. You just hope on the day that everyone else likes them as much or more than you do.”

A filly by Gun Runner who is a half-sister to undefeated juvenile stakes winner Dreamaway sold for $1.5 million to Douglas Scharbauer. She is out of Grade 1 winner Dream Dancing, by Tapit, and from the family of champion Beautiful Pleasure and Group 2 winner Kimbear. 

“I’m very impressed with her,” Scharbauer said about the yearling. “I didn’t know what she’d bring. I’m really a little surprised I could get her for a million and a half. The way she’s bred out of that Tapit mare, I’m excited. We’ll keep her in Kentucky. I think there’s a lot of promise right there. She’s very well bred. I’m very excited about that, probably as much as anything we’ve looked at today. (Trainer Steve Asmussen) will get her.”

“We thought she was a really nice filly,” said Brian Graves of consignor Gainesway, agent. “We were pleasantly surprised she was able to bring over $1 million. We thought she was always that caliber. It’s nice when a few people hook up and it goes a little higher. In fairness, she’s out of a young Grade 1 winner with a huge family, and she looked the part. (Breeder John) Oxley has done it again. When it all matches up, it’s nice to see them break through.”

Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa, agent, consigned a colt by first-crop sire Charlatan who sold to M.V. Magnier and White Birch Farm for $1.4 million. Out of Grade 1 winner Guarana, by Ghostzapper, he is from the family of Grade 1 winner Pleasant Home, Grade 2 winner Country Hideaway and Grade 3 winner Beatbox.

“He is a nice horse,” Magnier said. “His mother was a very good race filly. He just ticked a few boxes and all the guys seemed to like him, so let’s hope he’s as good as his mother. Peter (Brant), Brook Smith and a couple others (are partners in the purchase of the colt). (Trainer) Chad (Brown) liked the horse, everybody did. We’ll bring him back to Ashford (Stud), and we’ll figure out what we’re going to do with him.”

John G. Sikura of Hill ‘n’ Dale said the colt “was a magnificent horse. He was powerful and a great mover. He was beautifully balanced with great musculature. He was a classy and athletic horse with a beautiful face, head and eye. The physical horse is outstanding. They love the Charlatans and Guarana was a supremely talented racehorse. He has a deep pedigree, the dam was a Grade 1 winner and a great individual – all the components you need to sell (for $1 million). After that, you just don’t know because it depends who bids at that point. He’s going to a great home in Coolmore and I hope he is a superstar for them.”

Two horses sold for $1.35 million each.

AMO Racing USA paid the amount for an American Pharoah filly who is a full sister to Grade 2 winner Forbidden Kingdom. Consigned by Paramount Sales, agent, he is out of Grade 3 winner Just Louise, by Five Star Day and from the family of Grade 2 winners Sara Louise and Kalik.

“We love her,” Kia Joorabchian of AMO Racing said. “We are looking for fillies with great pedigrees, and she was a standout for us so we weren’t going to stop. We are going to take our time now. We will give her a little bit of time off and we will see. But probably, it will definitely be an American trainer.” 

“She’s well-bred, a full sister to a lovely racehorse (Forbidden Kingdom),” Paramount’s Pat Costello said. “She was a good physical. There was a lot of action. She has a great mind. That was a good (price). That was on the top of where we thought it would be.”

A full brother to Racing Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra sold for $1.35 million to Epic Horses LLC. Consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa, agent, he is out of stakes winner Lotta Kim, by Roar, and from the family of Grade 1 winner Rachel’s Valentina.

Dede McGehee of Heaven Trees Farm foaled and raised the colt on behalf of breeder Dolphus Morrison.

“It is probably the last foal out of her (Lotta Kim) we will ever sell. I didn’t know what to expect. You never know.”

Shannon Potter, CEO of Town & Country Farms, as a consultant represented a new client.

“New people in the business purchased this horse,” Potter said. “Epic Racing is a new venture, and we are excited to have him. It is a couple from Vegas. They are excited about the game and the business and the industry. This is their first purchase at auction.”

Potter said the colt likely will be trained by Todd Pletcher.

Mitsu Nakauchida, agent, paid $1.25 million for a colt by Into Mischief consigned by Lane’s End, agent. Out of the Grade 2-winning Curlin mare Point of Honor, he is from the family of Grade 1 winner Wicked Whisper, Grade 2 winner Mr Freeze and Grade 3 winners Dilemma and Heavenly Ransom.

Shadwell Farm spent $1.2 million for a Tapit filly from the family of Hall of Famer and sire Arrogate. Consigned by Clearsky Farms, agent, she is the first foal out of the winning Into Mischief mare Immediate Impact, a half-sister to Arrogate.

Two horses sold for $1.15 million each.

Becky Thomas, agent for Chester and Mary Broman, paid the amount for a colt by Gun Runner who is out of Grade 1 winner Harmonize, by Scat Daddy, and is a half-brother to Grade 2 winner Integration, winner of this year’s Million Preview S. Consigned by Brookdale, agent, he is from the family of Grade 2 winners Waldoboro, Tara Roma and Al Khali.

“(Chester Broman) told me that he liked that one the best,” Thomas said about the colt. “He was big, beautiful, stretchy, and we loved his family and we loved his walk. Mr. Broman wants to go to the (Kentucky) Derby (G1), and we thought he looked like the type. I wasn’t (surprised by the price) but I’m not one to bid that high. But he (Chester Broman) is here because he told me, ‘If I come, we have a budget’. He’s in charge of the budget.”

Donato Lanni, agent for SF/Starlight/Madaket, paid $1.15 million for a Nyquist colt consigned by Candy Meadows Sales, agent. Out of Impasse, a winning daughter of Quality Road, he is from the family of Grade 2 winner Majestic River.

“He is a horse that there was a consensus about,” Tom Ryan of SF Racing said. “We like Nyquist. He doesn’t take any introduction anymore. He’s clearly a top-flight stallion. Very good example of what a good son of Uncle Mo can do. (This colt) is an athlete with plenty of pedigree. He is clearly going to Bob (Baffert). Kind of the same group, we’ve got Stonestreet in this horse and then most of the same old characters: Starlight, Madaket and SF. We felt like it was a high-conviction horse for us.”

Matt Lyons of Candy Meadows said the colt “was beautiful from the day he was born until today. He never had a bad day in his life. He’s just a really lovely horse. There were so many good judges and so many good groups following this horse the last couple of days. We could see the momentum going. You never can predict a million-dollar horse, but we knew he had a chance.”

Repole Stable and Spendthrift Farm purchased the Gun Runner colt Make My Day, a half-brother to Grade 2 winner Imagination, Grade 3 winner Occult and stakes winners Exulting and Magical, for $1.1 million. Consigned by Bridie Harrison, agent for Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, he is out of Grade 2 winner Magical Feeling, by Empire Maker, and from the family of Grade 1 winners Dream Tree and Golden Ticket.

“Gun Runner doesn’t really need an introduction on how big of a stallion he is,” said Jacob West, agent for Repole Stable. “Peter Blum breeds incredible horses. Mix it all in the pot, and it equals $1.1 million. Just excited to get him. (Todd Pletcher) will train the horse. He was one of those horses that was highly ranked from the start. We knew it was going to be expensive to get him.”

North Hills Co. went to $1.05 million for a Quality Road filly out of Rachel Alexandra’s Grade 1-winning daughter, Rachel’s Valentina. She was consigned by Summerfield (Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck), agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised.

Three yearlings brought $1 million each.

A filly from the first crop of Grade 1 winner Maxfield and a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Randomized sold for the amount to Resolute Bloodstock. Consigned by Four Star Sales, agent, she is out of the Elusive Quality mare French Passport and from the family of Grade 1 winner Got Stormy and Grade 2 winners Smooth Air and Overdriven.

“We like Maxfield, think he’s going to be a good stallion,” Resolute’s John Stewart said. “This filly is just a beautiful filly, as you can see commanding that kind of price. When we rank it in our pedigree system and looking at the horse overall, she’s an A+ and was on the top of our list. I kind of let everybody else get the bidding out of the way because I thought she was going to go between $750,000 and a million, and then we ended up coming in at the end to get her. She has good balance throughout her. She has really nice withers and shoulder. I like that because it gives them explosiveness out of the gate. I think she’s going to be a really fast horse and she lines up nicely with our turf program. She has a nice athletic build.”

“She was as lovely as they come,” Kerry Cauthen of Four Stars Sales said. “There were so many folks who really wanted to be part of her story. She was the kind of filly that just grew on you. She was a great filly to begin with. Randomized is a special horse and draws the attention that gets you that kind of money. That is a very big price for a yearling by (first-crop sire). Maxfield. Based on this filly and several I have seen, they (Maxfield offspring) have great minds, and I expect good things from him.”

Resolute Bloodstock led buyers during the session, spending $3,775,000 for six yearlings.

Juddmonte acquired a colt by Constitution for $1 million. Consigned by Airdrie Stud Raised and Offered, he is out of stakes winner Indian Pride, by Proud Citizen, and from the family of Canadian champions Biofuel and Tu Endie Wei and Grade 2 winner Dansil.

“We were on fumes at the end,” Juddmonte’s Garrett O’Rourke said. “More than we wanted to pay but that is the market. You have to go, or you go home empty handed.”

“A million dollars does not happen to us very often; it doesn’t happen to many people very often.,” Bret Jones of Airdrie said. “We’re ecstatic; it means so much for the farm. Very grateful right now. There is no greater compliment than Juddmonte buying your horse. Garrett O’Rourke knew how special the dam was. She was a very special filly, and I think she will be a very special broodmare.

The sale caused Jones to reflect on the legacy of the yearling’s pedigree and his late father, Gov. Brereton Jones.

“That family has given us a lot of great days,” he said. “And now I hope it gives Juddmonte a lot of great days. The emotions hit right in the face when we think of all the fun we had with (the family). I think Indian Pride will be one of the greatest mares my dad ever had his hands on.” 

The third yearling to sell for $1 million was a daughter of Gun Runner acquired by Krista Seltzer, agent. Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, consigned the filly, who is out of stakes winner Lucrezia, by Into Mischief and was bred by her father, Ed Seltzer.

“There is a lot of sentiment there,” Krista Seltzer said. “She’s a lovely filly. I like to have partners where we know my dad can enjoy watching her race and that is super important. He loves the family and I love them.” 

Taylor Made Sales Agency was the leading consignor with sales of $7.31 million for 17 horses.

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The second session of Book 1 of the September Sale starts Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET. The entire sale is streamed live at Keeneland.com.