This year’s Keeneland Yearling Sale, September 8 through 23, offers the largest catalog on record with 5,555 lots. With only three days out of 15 completed (there is no sale session on Friday, September 12), the top seller is an A.P. Indy daughter that sold to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum for $3.1 million on the first day.
Last year’s top filly, Totally Devoted by Seeking the Gold, brought $1.6 million. The world record yearling filly, the Storm Cat daughter Moon’s Whisper, brought $4.4 million at Keeneland in 2000.
An A.P. Indy colt topped the second day of the sale at $1.5 million to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. He was one of 12 colts that sold for $1 million or more on Tuesday, September 9.
A.P. Indy was the leading sire of the 2007 sale with 23 yearlings that averaged $858,043.
The third day was highlighted by the sale of a Mr. Greeley colt for $875,000 to Zayat Stables. “This was a very, very good day at the office,” said Keeneland’s director of sales Geoffrey Russell. “It represented a very broad market. More people can afford Fords than Ferraris. The ‘not sold rate’ was down, which shows that consignors are looking at the market and adjusting to it, which is very favorable.”
On Monday, September 8, the first day of the sale, a bid of $7.7 million was turned down by Michael Paulson for Vallenseri, an A.P. Indy colt out of Breeders Cup Distaff champion Azeri. It was the highest price refused for a horse at a Keeneland sale and is believed to be the highest price refused at any North American sale.
The highest price for a yearling purchased at Keeneland was the $11.7 paid for the Kingmambo son Meydan in 2006. The second-highest price was $9.7 million paid in 2005 for Jalil by Storm Cat.
Last year’s sale was the second-highest grossing September sale in Keeneland history with $385 million in sales. A record 3,799 yearlings sold, including 32 for $1 million or more. The top-seller at $3.7 million was the Unbridled Song son Dunkirk.
Six Eclipse Award winners were among Keeneland’s 2007 sale graduates, including Curlin, 2007 Horse of the Year.