Tapit, War Front Dominate Keeneland Sale

By the end of the 13-day Keeneland September yearling sale it would be Gainesway's Tapit   by a nose over Claiborne Farm's War Front  .

Tapit, currently the leading North American sire with more than $15.8 million in earnings and 14 graded stakes winners, was represented by 31 Keeneland yearlings averaging $639,839. Among those sold, four brought more than $1 million and 19 brought $500,000 or more. Tapit's top seller was a half brother to multiple grade I winner Mucho Macho Man  . Bridlewood Farm and M.V. Magnier teamed up to buy the colt for $2 million.

War Front had 19 yearlings sell for an average of $633,947. Two of his progeny sold for more than $1 million and 14 sold for $500,000 or more. Shadwell Estate Co. bought both the million-dollar War Front yearlings, paying $1.9 million for a colt out of stakes winner Prize Catch (A.P. Indy) and $1.3 million for a colt out of multiple grade I winner Love and Pride (A.P. Indy). 

Tapit and War Front dead-heated by median at $575,000 each. 

Among the top 25 Keeneland September sires represented by three or more sold, nine stallions had an average above $200,000 and two among them had averages above $300,000—leading international sire Galileo and WinStar Farm's Speightstown  .

Galileo was represented by four sold out of seven offered that averaged $393,750. His top sellers both sold for $500,00 and were both offered through Gainesway's consignment. One half-million-dollar yearling is a colt out of Half Queen (Deputy Minister), the dam of grade I-winning champion Halfbridled, who sold to Bluesky Bloodstock/Aquis Farm. The other top-seller is a filly out of English group winner and group stakes producer Dietrich (Storm Cat), which sold to bloodstock agents Jason Litt and Alex Solis II.

Speightstown had 26 of 40 offered bring an average of $329,115, which is a 44% increase over his 2015 Keeneland September average of $228,379 for 29 sold. The son of Gone West had five yearlings sell for $500,000 or more compared with two that sold in this range at last year's September sale.

Among this year's freshman sires, Ashford Stud's Uncle Mo   was the runaway leader just as he is on the leading freshman sire list with nearly $10.5 million in progeny earnings to second-place Twirling Candy's nearly $2.6 million. The son of Indian Charlie had 40 of 48 offered sell for an average of $219,875. 

The leader among first-crop yearling sires by average ended up being Ashford's Declaration of War  , a son of War Front who stood his first season in Ireland and then was relocated to the U.S. for the 2015 breeding season after shuttling to Australia. Declaration of War had 11 sold out of 18 offered that averaged $147,727 and had a median of $130,000. Seven of his yearlings sold for $100,000 or more with his top price peaking at $400,000.

Claiborne's first-crop sire Orb   was not far back with a $141,686 average for 43 sold and a median of $110,000. The son of Malibu Moon   had 26 yearlings sell for $100,000 or more, with his highest-priced yearling fetching $450,000.