Keeneland November Sale Continues on Solid Pace

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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Sweet Lollipop brings the top price for a mare of $280,000 during the fifth session of the Keeneland November Sale

The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale continued at a solid pace Nov. 9 as the fifth session saw stiff competition for the better offerings, highlighted by an Into Mischief  colt sold for a session-topping $300,000.

Keeneland reported 261 horses were sold for $15,315,500, an average of $58,680 and a median of $40,000. The 86 head that went unsold represented an RNA rate of 24.8%. There are no comparable figures from 2017 due to the reformatting of this year's sale.

Through five sessions of the auction, 1,094 horses have grossed $157,923,500 for an average of $144,354 and a median of $80,000, with a cumulative RNA rate of 25.7%. After five sessions in 2017, Keeneland had sold 908 horses for $159,410,000, an average price of $175,562 and a median of $100,000.

"It's been very strong today," said Mark Taylor of Taylor Made Sales Agency, the day's leading consignor with 36 horses sold for $3,325,000. "The mares in today's session that have some quality brought 30% more than I thought they would. The mares that just have a lot of foals out in front of them and are not covered by a commercial stallion, it's hard to give them away. Everybody is trying to consolidate and focus on quality. It costs the same to feed a $20,000 horse that it does a $120,000."

The session-topper, a March 6 Into Mischief colt consigned as Hip 1574 is from the family of grade/group 1 winner Mind Your Biscuits, and was purchased by Brian Graves' pinhooking operation Clear Ridge Stables from Eaton Sales, agent.

The top price of $280,000 for a mare was paid by Machmer Hall for Sweet Lollipop (Hip 1875), a 5-year-old Candy Ride  mare out of the stakes-placed Unbridled's Song mare Unbridled Beauty. Consigned by Taylor Made, agent, and in foal to Practical Joke , Sweet Lollipop is a half sister to stakes winner Meal Penalty and hails from the extended female family of champion sprinter and sire Housebuster.

Machmer Hall's Carrie Brogden said her purchase was spontaneous, as she did not even land on the mare until she first saw her in the back walking ring before entering the sale arena.

"She's breathtaking," Brogden said. "She came into the back ring, and I said, 'Holy hell.' That was the first time I'd seen her. She just looks all Unbridled's Song to me, and as everyone knows, I'm his biggest fan. She had the pedigree. She had the sire power. The only thing she didn't have is the race record. We've had really good luck with (other horses out of) that family."

Brogden said Machmer Hall was replenishing breeding stock after selling some of its stakes-producing mares.

"We've sold a lot of our young stakes producers, so we have to get some young mares to try to do it again. Hopefully, they are the next group of graded stakes producers," she said.

Machmer Hall was the session's leading buyer, spending $557,000 for three horses. Its other purchases were Buy Sell Hold (Hip 1535), a 3-year-old graded stakes-placed daughter of Violence  for $205,000, and the 3-year-old Kitten's Joy  mare Abundanceofcaution, in foal to Practical Joke, for $72,000.

The November sale continues through Nov. 16, with all sessions beginning at 10 a.m. ET.