Keeneland November Sale Continues at Steady Pace

Led by Contributing, a stakes-winning daughter of Medaglia d'Oro  purchased by Cary Bloodstock, agent for Coteau Grove Farm, for $500,000, the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale continued to show steady strength during the Nov. 11 third session.

Keeneland reported 196 horses sold for $25,063,000, an average price of $127,872, and a $107,500 median. During the comparable session a year ago, 233 head averaged $136,813 from gross receipts of $31,877,500, with a $105,000 median. This year's session RNA rate was 27.7%.

Cumulatively, 540 horses have been sold for $106,340,000, with an average price of $196,926 that is 10.5% below the three-day cumulative average of $219,940 in 2019. The median price is $125,000.

"Today felt good; the energy was really good today," said Shannon Arvin, Keeneland's president-elect and interim head of sales. "There was a lot of competition for the foals. Overall, it was a good session."

"There was a vibrancy here today that was hopefully contagious," said Geoffrey Russell, Keeneland's director of sales operations.

As the sale moves from Book 2 to Book 3 with a Thursday session that begins at 10 a.m. ET, Keeneland officials said they hope to see a continuation of the steady market.

"I hope what has happened in the first two books will continue on," Russell said. "It's going to be a different level of the market, but if we can capture the vibrancy of today and bring it on to tomorrow and the next day, that would be great."

The session topper, consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency as Hip 958, was sold in foal to Speightstown . Her dam, the winning Halo mare Taegu, is the dam of grade 2 winner Classic Elegance and the granddam of Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Believe You Can.

"It's a great pedigree, and Speightstown is showing again how awesome he is, with a horse like (Perryville Stakes winner) Nashville," buyer Andrew Cary said. "He should be a leading broodmare sire for years to come. Her sister produced a (Kentucky) Oaks winner. She's gorgeous and she could run. To me, she's the whole package. I thought she would cost in that range, maybe $600,000 instead of $500,000. But carrying her first foal might have affected her a little bit. But she has a long life ahead of her."

The 6-year-old Contributing was the second Medaglia d'Oro mare in foal to Speightstown purchased by Cary on behalf of Coteau Grove on the day. Cary went to $350,000 for Gold Souk (Hip 645), another daughter of Medaglia d'Oro in foal to Speightstown.

"I bought one Medaglia d'Oro mare in foal to Speightstown earlier, so I figured why not hit a double," Cary said.

Internet and phone bidding options continued to resonate with buyers, with 14 sales from 62 bids via the internet. "We had a lot of telephone bids," Arvin said.

One of the last horses through the ring, Hip 987, a Justify  weanling colt, was purchased by Michael Fowler for $375,000 via phone. Consigned by Stuart Morris, agent, the colt produced from Emily B, a half sister to grade 1 winner Awesome Maria, was bred in Kentucky by Fowler and Jumping Jack Racing. The colt's third dam was grade 1 winner Pretty Discreet, who produced grade 1 winners and sires Discreet Cat and Discreetly Mine.

"That was the range we thought he would fall in," Morris said. "(He is a) very nice colt, very well received in the barn since we started showing him on Monday. I am very impressed with the Justifys. All the ones I have been around have had very good minds. They are very forward, very athletic, very progressive. Simple and uncomplicated and acting like professional racehorses."

Hip 835, the Kitten's Joy  mare Stephanie's Sister, was purchased over the internet for $350,000 by Koichiro Yamaguchi. Consigned by Bedouin Bloodstock, agent, the mare in foal to Constitution  is a full sister to $4.27 million earner and multiple grade 1 winner Stephanie's Kitten.

"The market for the weanlings is a little spotty with the ones at the top being very well received," Morris said. "Overall, it has been pretty fair. For where we are in the world right now, I am very happy with the results."

"I think the market is pretty strong," buyer Chris Baccari said. "For the mares, it's been really strong. I think the foals are strong, but you have to sift through a lot of them to find the ones you want. When you find the ones you want, you have to pay for them."