Keeneland Kicks Off 2024 With January Sale

The New Year starts with the Horses of All Ages Sale at Keeneland, offering four days of quality breeding stock, allowing buyers to pick up fresh stock and short yearlings. This year's sale, Jan. 8-11 in Lexington, showcases a catalog of 1,478 individuals beginning each day at 10 a.m. ET.

"I think it's shaping up to be an exciting January sale," Tony Lacy, vice president of sales for Keeneland, commented. "The interest level from the selling side has been strong. Historically, it is a great place to sell young breeding stock and proven mares. It's great for short yearlings as the last opportunity for people to invest in pinhooking prospects, and I know I've had a lot of luck buying in the January sale."

The initial catalog contains depth, which speaks for itself, with the breeders, owners, and consignors being integral in supporting the sale. An example of that quality on Day 1 includes the extremely nice fillies from Eclipse Thoroughbreds, consigned with Bluewater Sales (Hips 8, 310, 387, and 400).

"Kaling, Hip 387,...placed in the Spinaway Stakes," commented Cormac Breathnach, Keeneland director of sales operations. "Manhattan Jungle, Hip 8, is a stakes winner and multiple group/graded placed. These prospects will hit the sales ring early Monday morning."

Monday also brings forward as the first hip in the ring, Machu Picchu, a 4-year-old mare by Violence   who is a half to champion Stephanie's Kitten , with the second dam grade 1 winner Bail Out Becky. The young mare sells in foal to Game Winner   for her first cover.  

"I think the quality is there for people; we've seen a lot of interest from around the world in Japan, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, as well as the domestic market for a lot of the offerings we've got this year, it's very encouraging," Lacy said. "The quality, especially in supplemental entries Sophia Mia (Hip 814), the dam of Malibu Stakes (G1) winner Speed Boat Beach, and the dam of Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) victress Just F Y I in Star Act (Hip 144). Those mares bring real heat to the fire, and we can only look for an outstanding sale."

The new year ushers in refreshed optimism in the market, giving chances to purchase stock by well-established stallions and mares in foal to new first-year sires.

"There's a great amount of depth in the quality the sellers have provided us with for the catalog," Breathnach said. "This is a new year, new opportunity kind of sale. Everybody goes into it with fresh optimism. It's all there in front of us in the January sale. We have great strength and depth; 65 mares in the catalog are in foal to stallions that stand for $50,000 or more. There's deep quality in the pregnant mares; there are 116 mares in foal to 25 different first-year sires, which are always popular."

Breathnach added: "All of the main stallions are also represented in the yearling section. We have cataloged 99 yearlings by 21 stallions that stand for $50,000 or more, which illustrates the quality. We feel the main catalog, as it came together, is very deep, very strong, and has global appeal to the market, and we're expecting a lot of online bidding. We're getting word from people in Saudi and elsewhere that they won't be in attendance but will be watching online remotely; we're excited to see it unfold."

"I think the market is going to be fine, and the market for foals will be great again," Reiley McDonald, managing partner of Eaton Sales, said. "Supply and demand, and there is a lot of demand for babies, the mares, we will have to wait and see. Anything with a little quality will bring a great premium, and the rest will be January prices."

Eaton Sales offers 10 individuals over the four days from Barns 20 and 48; McDonald commented on his draft, "We have a couple of nice mares, one Sebago Lake (Hip 831), by Tapit, she has a great family and is a beautiful mare, average height at 16 hh, very balanced, and in foal to Justify. Another mare, Athens Queen (Hip 633), won the Astoria Stakes and was two for two before being injured. She is in foal to Macleans Music and is a beautiful mare."

"Starting the new year and coming off of last year, we feel hopeful and excited for the entire year in general," Hunter Simms of Warrendale Sales said. "We have some nice offerings, including a Not This Time colt (Hip 685), a full sister to She's a Tiger in foal to McKenzie (Hip 838, Shan's Tiger) carrying her second foal with a big pedigree, and we have an Arrogate mare—Heavenly Praise (Hip 751) who is in foal on one cover to Bolt d'Oro."

During last year's four-day sale, Keeneland reported 997 of the 1,248 horses changed hands for gross receipts of $47,264,300. Recording an average price of $47,407 and a $19,000 median. An RNA rate of 20.1% represents the 251 horses that failed to meet their reserve price.

A Quality Road   filly headlined the 418 short yearlings sold for $18,366,300 out of Evocative, which sold to West Bloodstock, agent for Robert and Lawana Low, for $450,000 from Bedouin Bloodstock.

British bloodstock agent Kerri Radcliffe signed for Evocative at $550,000, the highest-priced in-foal broodmare. The 6-year-old Pioneerof The Nile mare sold from the Bedouin Bloodstock draft carrying a foal by Quality Road.

The racing/broodmare prospect, Ancient Peace , topped the sale at $650,000 after Boardshorts Stables signed the sales slip for the then 3-year-old War Front   filly, which has gone on to place in both the Summertime Oaks (G2) and Remington Park Oaks (G3). Indian Creek consigned the filly for then-owner Michael Ryan, who campaigned her during her first two starts as a juvenile.

Boardshorts Stables made four purchases for receipts of $1,227,000 to be the leading buyer of the sale. Perennial leading consignor Taylor Made Sales Agency sold 107 of their 137 horse draft for a $6,375,100 gross to be the leading seller.

As of Sunday afternoon, 87 horses had been withdrawn from the first session.