Optimism in the (Cold) Air at Keeneland

After braving a weekend in which temperatures barely made it into the teens, consignors and buyers can expect milder weather when the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale kicks off Jan. 9.

The auction in Lexington will continue through Jan.13 with sessions beginning at 10 a.m. daily.

Judging by the activity on the Keeneland grounds Jan. 7-8, sale participants were undeterred by the bitter cold that will yield to temperatures above freezing by Monday and into the 50s by mid-week.

"I feel good about it," said Keeneland president Bill Thomason, among the sales company executives braving the cold air in the barn area Sunday morning. "The horses are all happy. Attitude means a lot and everybody has a great spirit on the grounds as they look at the horses.

"All throughout the grounds, consignors have been pleased with the traffic," Thomason said. "Even when it was 8 degrees, they were here looking to buy horses. It is a great, optimistic mood here. There are a lot of good things going on around the country right now."

From 1,893 horses cataloged—726 broodmares, 147 broodmare prospects, 732 yearlings, 280 horses of racing age and seven stallion prospects—as of Jan. 8 there had been 401 withdrawals. Included were some racing and broodmare prospects precluded from being shipped to Keeneland as a result of health restrictions put in place following an outbreak of equine herpesvirus at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans.

As the first sale of the calendar year, the January auction provides a marketplace different from the much larger breeding stock sale conducted by Keeneland in November. Some consignors target broodmares, broodmare prospects, racing prospects, and just-turned yearlings to January that would have fallen through the cracks in November or otherwise were not ready to be offered to the public last fall.

"It will be a continuation of the November sale; horses of quality will sell very well, especially some of the nice racing prospects," said Geoffrey Russell, director of sales operations. "It will have good international appeal, with some European and Japanese buyers here and a typical strong domestic showing."

As the inspection process continued Jan. 7-8, several horses emerged as possibilities to light up the bid board during the two-day Book 1 sessions.

Among them is Delightful Joy (Hip 309), an attractive chestnut daughter of leading sire Tapit  , offered by Craig and Holly Bandoroff's Denali Stud. Winner of the Monmouth Oaks (G3), the 5-year-old mare out of a grade 3 winner, is a half sister to a grade 3 winner and will be offered as a broodmare prospect.

"Some people like to point to this sale," said Craig Bandoroff. "It's a smaller sale and a filly like this is going to be one of the stars of the show. In November, she's just another nice horse. She's by Tapit and she's from a family that has had speed, and because they are good-looking they have always sold well."

Bandoroff said January also provides a solid market for "short yearlings" which have the benefit of several more months of development than they would have shown as weanlings last November.

"There is not as big a group to choose from, so you're trying to stand out," he said.

Buyer Stuart Morris said he has some clients who prefer to shop the January market, especially when trying to buy just-turned yearlings.

"They prefer to wait until January (rather than November) because they are a couple of months older and have a better idea of what's in front of us.

"Things can always change no matter what you do, but at least there is the illusion of a little more comfort level and more stability because the horses are little older."

Despite the smaller buying bench on hand for January compared with the marathon November sale, Morris said there is always steep competition for the better horses.

"The quality is going to rise to the top," he said. "For the nice animals with quality pedigrees there is no way you're not going to have to pay a premium for them. The horses that are deemed quality by the marketplace, there is no sneaking up on them."

Duncan Taylor said among the standouts in his family's Taylor Made Sales Agency consinment is Midnight Miley (Hip 46), a 5-year-old daughter of Midnight Lute   and multiple grade 3 winner in Canada, who is on the market as a broodmare prospect.

The Taylor Made consignment has two related mares in foal to American Pharoah   that have outstanding pedigrees. Dame Ellen (Hip 302), an Elusive Quality mare produced from three-time European group 1 winner Sleepytime, and Divalarious (Hip 312), a half sister to Sleepytime.

Also attracting buyer attention at Taylor Made was Grosse Pointe Anne (Hip 350), a winning Silver Deputy mare who is a half sister to champion and top sire Uncle Mo  . The 10-year-old mare, who has a stakes-placed runner to her credit, is in foal to Pioneerof the Nile  .

Mohini (Hip 453), a mare who went through the ring in Keeneland’s November sale but was bought back for $525,000 should prove attractive in the January marketplace, according to Kerry Cauthen of consignor Four Star Sales. In foal to American Pharoah, the 5-year-old mare is a daughter of top international sire Galileo, out of a French group 1 winner, and from a female family that includes group 1 winners Coup de Genie, Machievellian, and Exit to Nowhere, among others.

"She is a nice, big Galileo mare… there is a lot to like in that package," Cauthen said. "January represents a good opportunity for a mare like that to stick out and become obvious. I think a lot more people will zone in on her."

A proven mare from the Four Star consignment that could also be among the sale-toppers is Chocolate Pop (Hip 686), an 11-year-old mare in foal to Bernardini  . Airoforce, a grade 2 winner who finished second in three graded stakes, including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) was the Cuvee mare's first of four foals of racing age.