Keeneland sale officials were encouraged by strong average prices and volume of completed sales at the conclusion of the first week of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The sale continues through Sunday, September 26.
 
“The clearance rate so far is 70 percent, which is very good,” said Geoffrey Russell, Keeneland’s director of sales. “Another goal was to bring in a wide mix of buyers, and we’ve succeeding in doing that, too.” 
 
At end of “day seven” of the 14-day auction, 1,225 horses had been sold for $158,624,000, with an average of $129,489 and a median of $80,000.

The first day of the sale, Sunday, September 12, saw an A.P. Indy colt, from the family of champion Zenyatta, bring $4.2 million. The next day, a colt by Distorted Humor sold for $2.05 million.

The market for heavy black type remained strong during Tuesday’s session, where George Bolton paid $1 million for a Smart Strike colt. Bolton, a San Francisco-based businessman who previously owned an interest in two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, also sired by Smart Strike, flew to Lexington to purchase the colt in person on the advice of bloodstock agent John Moynihan.

“This is a beautifully bred horse,” said Bolton.“These things are always a long road when you buy a yearling, but he’s nice; he obviously looks like he can go far; and we’ve had a lot of luck with the sire.”
 
Bolton added that the $1 million ticket was his most expensive Thoroughbred auction purchase. “This is the way it’s been here,” he said. “The buyers are here and they want the best horses. It’s not easy to get the good ones.”
 
The colt was consigned by Greenfield Farm; Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert was the under-bidder.
 
On Wednesday, fillies commanded half of the top 10 prices, led by a daughter of Malibu Moon who sold for $700,000, and on Thursday, a Smart Strike filly and colt each brought the top price of $550,000.  Zayat Stables purchased the colt and George Bolton bought the filly.

“She was John’s (Moynihan) favorite filly in the sale, so he wanted me to stretch a little bit and get this one,” Bolton said. “There are a lot of good things happening in horse racing right now, so we could stretch with a little more confidence versus this time last year.”

On Friday, Silverton Hill Farm paid the day’s top price of $560,000 for a colt sired by Unbridled’s Song, and Bob Baffert signed the ticket for the day’s second, third and fourth highest priced yearlings – a Ghostzapper colt for $500,000; a Malibu Moon colt for $470,000; and a Lemon Drop Kid colt for $420,000.