Fall Momentum Should Carry to First Yearlings Offered

While the progeny of 2024's first-crop yearling sires have not changed much physically from the members of the crop that went through the fall mixed sales, their perceived value at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale could be influenced by any buzz created by those first foals that were sold.

Spendthrift Farm's Yaupon   may benefit the most from the first impressions in the fall. The grade 1-winning sprinter by Uncle Mo   entered stud at $30,000 and had his first crop of weanlings attract a $130,889 average from 36 sold. He was represented by six weanlings that sold for $200,000 or more, with his top seller—a colt out of the Bernardini mare Zetta Z—bringing $450,000 from AAA Thoroughbreds. Vinery Sales consigned the colt. 

AAA Thoroughbreds is a weanling-to-yearling pinhook venture owned by Randy Hartley and longtime pinhooking partner Dean DeRenzo. They liked Yaupon well enough to buy three of his top four selling weanlings during the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. They also bought a $400,000 colt out of grade 2 winner Lady Sabelia  (Majestic Warrior) and a $300,000 filly out of grade 2-placed winner Lady Lumberjack  (Forestry), both consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

Yaupon is represented in the upcoming Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale by nine "short yearling" entries as of Jan. 6. 

Class Leader

The first foals by Darley Stallions' 2020 champion 2-year-old male and 2021 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Essential Quality  , a son of Tapit  , lived up to their sire's class-topping entering-year stud fee of $65,000 with a $308,000 fall weanling average from five sold. 

Elm Tree Farm sold Essential Quality's top-selling weanling for $485,000 to Shadwell Racing. The colt is out of the Quiet American daughter Bashful Bertie, who is a full sister to grade 1-placed, multiple grade 2 winner Allamerican Bertie and a half sister to grade 1-placed, grade 2 winner Hurricane Bertie (Storm Boot).

Essential Quality has two yearlings entered in the Keeneland January sale.

Rounding Out the Top 10

Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa's Charlatan   and Darley's Maxfield   are others of their sire class to exit the fall sales with six-figure averages for their first foals offered.

Charlatan, a son of Speightstown and winner of the Arkansas Derby (G1) and Malibu Stakes (G1), had his first weanlings generate a $210,278 average from 18 to sell. He was represented by seven weanlings that sold for $200,000 or more, and his top seller sold for $370,000 to Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings out of Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services' consignment for Merriebelle Stable.

Charlatan is represented to date by five yearlings entered in the January sale. They were bred on a $50,000 stud fee, which is what the stallion continues to stand for this year.

Maxfield is a multiple grade 1-winning son of Street Sense   who entered stud at $40,000. His first weanlings averaged a robust $165,182 from 11 sold, which included three to sell for $200,000 or more. His top seller was a $500,000 colt out of the Ghostzapper   daughter Belle's Finale, a full sister to graded-placed stakes winner Zapper Belle . Enfeugo Stables bought the colt from Taylor Made Sales Agency's consignment at Fasig-Tipton's The November Sale. Maxfield has three entered in the Keeneland January sale.

The remaining sires that make up the top 10 of this class by weanling average are Knicks Go   ($64,611 from 18 sold), Silver State   ($44,660, 20 sold), Independence Hall   ($40,080, 25 sold), Lexitonian   ($37,750, 16 sold), Raging Bull   ($37,000, nine sold), and Tacitus   ($36,327, 26 sold).