Record-Setting Keeneland September Sale Concludes

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale concluded Sept. 21 in Lexington as the highest grossing auction in history with total sales of $427,800,000.

"When we were on inspections earlier this year, we saw a level of quality and consistency amongst the crop that gave us a lot of excitement, and when the horses showed up, they verified our excitement and expectations," said Tony Lacy, vice president of sales at Keeneland.

The previous record, set in 2022, was surpassed at the Sept. 19 session. The final two days added to the total with solid trade for the level of horse offered. At Saturday's final session, 209 horses sold from the 235 offered, for a total of $2,817,000. The average was $13,478, with a median of $10,000. Twenty-six horses failed to meet their reserve, resulting in an RNA rate of 11.1%. 

Last year's final session saw a total of 180 horses sell of the 194 to go through the ring. The gross was $2,533,100 with an average of $14,073 and a median of $9,250. The RNA rate was 7.2% from the 14 horses who did not sell.

The demand was strong all the way through the sale, with strong interest both domestically and internationally. 

"Our international outreach is paying dividends. We've had sales team members go all over the world, with three members in the Middle East this year, for a long stint between the Saudi Cup and the Dubai World Cup," Keeneland's director of sales operations Cormac Breathnach said. "We've had members in Japan, Eastern Europe, South America, and all over the country here in the U.S. domestically, and also in Ireland and England.

"We sponsor races around the world; we're really putting our best foot forward, trying to engage the international community, as well as the domestic buyer base. I think the most gratifying thing for us is to see the number of countries—31 countries so far have bought from this September catalog, which is a couple more than last year," he added.

The leading buyer of the 12th session for the second day in a row was Nadir Khassanov. He purchased 13 head for a total of $113,500. Vinery Sales sold 27 yearlings for a gross of $470,400 to top the day as leading consignor. First-crop yearling sire Rock Your World   led the sire standings on the last day with nine sold for $194,000.

"It was a great probe of the first-season sires, the young stallions with their first runners this year are getting some results on the track. That's gaining a lot of traction in the ring as well," said Lacy.

"When you looked at the beginning of the sale, the first week, we had a great variety of stallions gaining attention, gaining traction with the market; having Maxfield and Charlatan with multiple million-dollar-plus horses is just a testament to that, and it's exciting for the future."

For the entire 2024 sale, the average was $148,130, with a median of $70,000 for the 2,888 yearlings sold. Of the 3,539 hips offered, 651 horses did not meet their reserve, resulting in an RNA rate of 18.4%. 

In 2023, 2,885 horses sold from the 3,452 to go through the ring for final figures of $408,179,900, an average of $141,484, and a median of $67,000. An RNA rate of 16.4% represented the 567 yearlings that did not sell. 

"The demand part really comes from the momentum. So, when the sale starts off the way it did, and people get pushed back there, they end up shopping through athletes in later books. You can't have this kind of week two results without a strong week one, in our opinion," added Breathnach.

This year's 81st edition of the sale saw 36 horses sell for $1 million or more, up from last year's 30. 

The leading buyer of the entire sale was Repole Stable (West Bloodstock, agent), signing the ticket for 31 horses for a total of $11,410,000. Taylor Made Sales Agency led the consignors with a total of 334 head sold for $53,333,200. Gun Runner   topped the sire standings by gross with 62 yearlings sold for a total of $32,665,000, with seven of them bringing $1 million or more.

A colt by Rock Your World topped the 12th and final session Saturday. Consigned as Hip 4228 from the Stoneriggs Farm consignment, Zap/Murphy for CA Racing Partners and Ciaglia went to $85,000 to secure the colt. 

He was bred in Kentucky by MJK Bloodstock; this is the first foal of the winning Alternation   mare Plenty Quick .

"(Hip 4228) was just a real nice colt, I feel like a big standout for the day. A lot of presence, just lovely moving colt, straightforward, correct. He was just a real nice, smooth colt, great representation of the sire (Rock Your World)," said Martin Keogh, general manager of Stoneriggs Farm. 

Rock Your World's first foals are yearlings of this year. He stood his first year for an advertised fee of $10,000 at Spendthrift Farm. The son of Candy Ride   won the 2021 Santa Anita Derby (G1) at 3. 

"I purposely left him here in Book 6, because I feel like a lot of people scratched coming over here, hoping he'd be a big standout for the day, which clearly worked in our favor; that doesn't always go that way" he added.

Keogh, along with partners Sebastien G. Murat, Justin Wojczynski, and Gemma Freeman, bred the dam of Hip 4228 and sold her as a yearling for $50,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September Sale. He always wanted to get his homebred back, which he was able to do for $1,000 privately. He was well rewarded Saturday afternoon.

"We've sold from Book 1 here through the whole way to Book 6, and we've had a really solid sale from start to finish. The market has been phenomenal. I don't think any of us came in here—with everything going on in the world, election year—expecting it to be breaking records. It just says a lot about the industry and where we're at and in the improvements that we have made," Keogh said.

Keeneland's next sale will be the November Breeding Stock Sale, Nov. 5-13, followed by the Nov. 14 Keeneland November Horses of All Ages Sale.