Robust Trade Continues on Day 6 at Keeneland

Selling from Book 3 concluded Sept. 18 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, seeing a son of WinStar freshman sire Audible   taking top honors after realizing $725,000 from Flurry Racing Stables with agent Clay Scherer signing the sales ticket.

The day consisted of steady trade as a new wave of buyers shuffled in from the previous Books 1 and 2, eager to purchase prospects for their racing and pinhooking operations.

The sixth session finished with 286 of the 366 horses on offer changing hands for gross receipts of $40,172,000. An average price of $140,462 and a median of $110,000 was recorded. Eighty individuals failed to meet their reserve to represent an RNA rate of 21.9%.

Year-over-year, the 2021 sixth session saw 297 of the 364 horses through the ring sell for gross figures of $34,725,500, at an average price of $116,921 and a median of $85,000. Sixty-seven yearlings failed to meet their reserve, representing an RNA rate of 18.4%.

Just five hips from the end of the day Sunday, bloodstock agent Clay Scherer stepped into the pavilion to go to bat for the Audible   colt consigned as Hip 1952 by Paramount Sales. The colt was purchased for $725,000 for Flurry Racing Stables.

"He was a fantastic individual, and he looked the part," Scherer said. "Into Mischief   (sire of Audible) has been a great sire, and I think he will be a good sire of sires."

The colt was bred in Kentucky by Versatile Thoroughbreds, who saw him through the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, where he sold for $160,000 to Big Bear Bloodstock. The April-born colt is out of the Kafwain mare Oh Boo Hoo , a winner, and from the family of stakes winner Haitian Vacation, producer of grade 1 stakes-placed Palacia de Amor and Island Hop , a stakes-placed performer.

The price was no surprise to Scherer, who said, "The good ones will bring a premium, and he certainly looked like he could be one of the best ones."

Paramount Sales had a banner day. Including the sale-topping colt it sold 24 horses for gross receipts of $4,404,000 at an average of $183,500 to be the session's leading consignor.

Kerry Cauthen's Four Star Sales closed the sixth session out after selling 20 yearlings for gross receipts of $3,439,000 at an average price of $171,950 to be the second-leading consignor by gross.

"I don't think you could look at this day, the book, or the sale and not say that this was an outstanding sale and this was a terrific sale day," Cauthen said. "It seems very buoyant, and I think we had a lot of good horses that fit a lot of people from pinhookers to racing end users. I think it was just that kind of day. It was fast and furious, and as buyers get shut out or fail to buy horses, they start to look at the last day of the book, and they know that the next group is a level down, so they get aggressive, and it builds up.

"It's definitely above expectations. I think it's been fantastic, and we have many happy buyers and many happy sellers."

Local bloodstock agent Mike Ryan, purchasing on behalf of various clients, secured seven individuals for a total of $1,285,000 to be the session 6 leading buyer at an average price of $214,167. He also purchased Hip 1950 a colt by West Coast for $300,000 as LRE and JEH Racing/Mike Ryan, agent.

Closely behind Ryan, Red Oak Farm purchased three yearlings for gross receipts of $1,150,000, including a Constitution colt consigned as Hip 1736 by Knockgriffin Farm; Hip 1795, a colt by City of Light   for $400,000 consigned by Paramount Sales; and an Uncle Mo   filly, Hip 1888, for $400,000 from Four Star Sales.

"The market is robust, even for Day 6. The first two days, you have the cream of the crop, but days 3, 4, 5, and 6 were every bit as strong," Red Oak Farm's Stephen Brunetti said. "It's a tough market to buy in. If you have a horse that you like, is well bred, and checks all the boxes, you'll have to go for a couple hundred thousand. It's good for horse racing and breeders, and I'm very thankful to contribute."

Brunetti said his three purchases will likely be headed to Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. "Pletcher has been our trainer for the past couple of years; he's done an excellent job for us. You feel pretty confident when you have a guy like him in your corner."

Cumulatively over the past six days, 1,299 horses were sold of the 1,635 through the sales pavilion for gross receipts of $336,666,000. An average price of $259,173 and a median of $200,000 was recorded. There have been 336 horses who failed to meet their reserve to represent an RNA rate of 20.6%.

At this time last year, 1,258 yearlings of the 1,613 under the hammer had sold for gross figures of $289,605,000. Keeneland reported an average price of $230,210 and a median of $170,000. Three hundred fifty-five horses failed to meet their reserve, representing an RNA rate of 22%.

Selling from Book 4 begins tomorrow with Hips 1959-2369 heading under the hammer, starting at 10 a.m. ET. As of Sunday evening, there were 33 horses withdrawn from the seventh session.