Keeneland's April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale April 30 will kick off Kentucky Derby (G1) week in the Bluegrass. A total of 121 horses, including seven horses in the latest round of supplements, have been cataloged to the auction, which will begin at 4 p.m. ET and be live-streamed on Keeneland.com.
"We've been able to recruit some recent winners to the April Sale, and several horses have won during the Keeneland Spring Meet," Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy said. "There's a lot of quality through the catalog, so it's a very dynamic sale that has evolved nicely over the last couple of years.
"It's a sector of the market we've leaned into because there's a lot of growth and potential that allow people to capitalize on their investments that might have materialized into something productive," Lacy continued. "This sale also allows partnerships and established owners to refresh their stock and buy something that looks exciting for the summer racing season."
Keeneland will kick off the April Sale with a special event celebrating the season. From 2-4 p.m. in the Sales Pavilion, patrons will enjoy complimentary hospitality, including a lineup of specialty bloody marys, pub grub, and snacks.
The enhanced digital catalog is available on the Keeneland website.The catalog, also available through the Equineline Sales Catalog iPad app, includes pedigrees, Equibase past performances and race videos, Daily Racing Form past performances, and Ragozin and Thoro-Graph figures. Consignors may upload photographs and walking videos.
Printed catalogs for the 80 horses initially cataloged in the sale and a supplemental catalog for the 34 initial supplements are available at Keeneland. A separate printing of the final seven supplements will be available just prior to the sale.
Keeneland director of sales operations Cormac Breathnach said the April Sale catalog has variety and "something for everybody."
"Among the offerings are horses at various levels of the market in terms of valuation and their racing conditions," Breathnach said. "A lot of people on the West Coast are trying to take advantage of 'ship and win programs', and more than 70 horses in this catalog, including the supplements, are eligible for those bonuses. We're trying to have a broad reach with a fairly trim catalog and keep the quality high."
The latest group of seven supplements to the April Sale includes: