KEENOV Kicks Off on Election Day

LEXINGTON, Ky – While the majority of the population will be following the U.S. presidential race Tuesday, the focus of the bloodstock world shifts to the Keeneland sales ring as its November Breeding Stock Sale begins a 13-day run in Lexington. A total of 4,762 head are catalogued for this year's marathon auction.

“It's the largest breeding stock sale in the world, and it's a sale that we always look forward to every year,” offered Geoffrey Russell, Keeneland's Director of Sales Operations. “This year's catalogue stacks up to any we've had before, so we're looking forward to it very much.”

A major storyline at this year's sale is sure to be the complete dispersal of Ernie Semersky and Dory Newell's Conquest Stables–one of the most-anticipated dispersals since the blockbuster Ned Evans dispersal here five years ago. Lane's End consigns the 111-strong draft (click here for more).

Among Conquest's offerings during Book 1 will be Grade I-winning 'TDN Rising Star' My Conquestadory (Artie Schiller) (hip 21), who sells in foal to leading sire Tapit right after her Tapit weanling colt goes through the ring (hip 20). Ninety-six members of the Conquest dispersal are racing prospects, and sell next week.

“Dispersals always add a little spice to sales, and this one is a little different because it's more of a horses of racing age dispersal–that's why we always have those horses of racing age on the dark days [of racing] during the second week to make sure we get trainers in here to look at them,” Russell noted. “Their horses have been doing very well on the racetrack, so we look forward to having successful sales with them.”

While there are a number of high-profile outs, as is always the case with the November breeding stock sales, other racing or broodmare prospects on offer include GI Just a Game S. romper Celestine (Scat Daddy) (hip 144); GI Test S. upsetter Paola Queen (Flatter) (hip 274); Peace and War (War Front) (hip 32), the 2014 GI Darley Alcibiades S. romper, who sells in foal to Tapit; Canada's 2014 Horse of the Year and Queen's Plate winner Lexie Lou (Sligo Bay {Ire}) (hip 232); GISW Mushka (Empire Maker) (hip 260), a $2.4-million '08 graduate of this sale who has had two yearlings bring over $1-million at KEESEP, in foal to Tapit; GISW Cotton Blossom (Broken Vow) (hip 394), a \fs21softline$2.3-million purchase here in 2009 who sells in foal to Uncle Mo; 2010 GI Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic heroine and $2.8-million KEENOV '11 buy Unrivaled Belle (hip 336), also in foal to Tapit; and GSW/MG1SP Secret Gesture (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) (hip 53), in foal to War Front.

As many as eight mares will sell in foal to last year's Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), who stood his first season at Coolmore's Ashford Stud this year. Other new sires to whom mares are in foal at KEENOV include Grade I-winning 'TDN Rising Stars' Honor Code (A.P. Indy), Tonalist (Tapit), Liam's Map (Unbridled's Song), Constitution (Tapit) and Carpe Diem (Giant's Causeway); and Classic winner Palace Malice (Curlin). Three mares will be offered in foal to Empire Maker (Unbridled) following his first breeding season since being repatriated from Japan.

The market for weanlings has been notably strong in recent years, and Russell expects that trend to continue.

“The weanling market should be good this year,” he said. “We're seeing two dynamics with that. The weanling-to-yearling pinhookers did well this year, so we hope that they'll be back to reinvest. But also, we're seeing a slight change in the marketing by some of our consignors, who are aiming some of the crackerjack foals–with top pedigrees and top physicals–to sell them as weanlings, rather than keep them for the September [Yearling] Sale. We've seen that the last couple of years, and it brings a different group of buyers here, too. There have been a lot of end users who show up for those horses.”

Eight of this past weekend's Breeders' Cup winners were Keeneland sales graduates, including GI Classic winner Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) and GI Distaff winner Beholder (Henny Hughes), and Keeneland November weanlings Champagne Room (Broken Vow) (GI Juvenile Fillies), Drefong (Gio Ponti) (GI Sprint) and Finest City (City Zip) (GI F/M Sprint).

“It was a spectacular Breeders' Cup–our graduates have really performed well at the top tier of racing, and having eight Breeders' Cup champions, including the Classic winner and Distaff winner, was wonderful,” Russell said. “We also sold three of those champions as November foals, which shows the depth of the November sale, especially when it comes to foals.”

Book 1 sessions begin Tuesday (hips 1-239) and Wednesday (hips 240-480) at 11:00 a.m., while the remaining sessions each begin at 10:00 a.m. For the complete catalogue, outs, and more, visit keeneland.com.