By Jessica Martini
The second book of the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale concluded Thursday in Lexington with a pair of horses topping the six-figure mark and with figures largely in line with last year's auction. The 10-year-old mare Prom Time (Tale of the Cat) brought the day's top price, selling for $102,000 to Warrandale Sale's Hunter Simms, who was bidding on behalf of Tom Bachman. The dark bay mare (hip 1271), a half-sister to the dam of GI Test S. winner Cavorting (Bernardini), was consigned by Eaton Sales as part of the dispersal of the estate of Howard and Sondra Bender.
During the two sessions of book 2, Keeneland sold 468 horses for a gross of $7,021,300. The average dipped .87% to $15,003, while the median remained constant at $8,000. A total of four horses brought six figures, with a top price of $240,000.
A total of 496 horses sold for $7,507,100 during book 2 in 2015, when the sale was just four days, for an average of $15,135 and a median of $8,000. Six horses brought six figures in the book, with top price of $150,000.
Through four days of selling, 843 horses have grossed $33,672,900. The average of $39,944 is up 7.26% and the median of $15,000 is down 6.25%. The cumulative buy-back rate is 24.19%, down from 25.18% a year ago.
“It's still that same market,” said Dan Hall, whose Hidden Brook consigned the day's top-priced yearling, a $100,000 son of Super Saver. “If you have a nice horse, you're rewarded. Just like we were with that one that can exceed your expectations. But if you fall a bit below that, it gets tough pretty quick. There's not a whole lot of depth there in the middle to the bottom.”
Simms, Warrandale's director of bloodstock services, agreed buyers continue to be very selective in their bidding.
“It's been tough,” admitted Simms. “We had a good book 1, we had a couple nice babies who sold well and we had a couple nice mares who sold well. Today is a little bit tougher sledding as far as getting them moved and finding them new homes. We sent out a letter to our clients forewarning them about what was going to happen today as far as the prices. I know the numbers have all been up, but overall I think those have all been pushed by the high prices in book 1. It's a tough sale, but you'll be rewarded for what you bring up here.”
The Keeneland January sale concludes Friday with its fifth session beginning at 10 a.m.
Prom Time Hits Prime Time
The fourth session of the Keeneland January sale found its first six-figure offering in the early afternoon, but it was work as Warrendale Sale's Hunter Simms, bidding from the back row of the pavilion matched $2,000 salvos with Donato Lanni bidding out back to ultimately secure Prom Time (Tale of the Cat) for $102,000 on behalf of California breeder Tom Bachman.
“He loved the mare,” Simms said of Bachman. “He is taking a flight back to California today and he asked if we would bid on her for him.”
Prom Time (hip 1271), who was consigned by Eaton Sales on behalf of the dispersal of the estate of Howard and Sondra Bender, is a half-sister to graded stakes winner Promenade Girl (Carson City), the dam of GI Test S. winner Cavorting (Bernardini).
“She is a nice mare, she's got a nice pedigree behind her,” Simms said. “It was a little bit more than he wanted to spend today, but the nice horses are bringing plenty of money.”
The 12-year-old mare produced four straight colts, but was not mated last year.
“She'll go to Woodstock Farm with Ben Berger and we'll figure out a stallion and go from there,” Simms said.
Simms did his bidding while on the phone with Bachman and said the Californian never waivered.
“He was aggressive,” Simms said. “We wanted to be at about half of where we were. Donato came up to me and told me he wanted her bad, and I said, 'Well, so did we.' We wanted to be half of where we were, but you have to pay for what you want.
I was hoping with each tick that we would get her, but sometimes it takes a little more. He stuck with it. He wanted her bad.”
Longtime Maryland owner and breeder Howard Bender passed away last September. Bender and his late wife Sondra, who died in 2012, were honored as Maryland's leading breeders four times. The couple bred the winners of more than 500 races and $14 million in earnings, including Promenade Girl, who won the 2006 GII Molly Pitcher S. in Sondra Bender's colors before selling for $1.125 million at the 2007 Keeneland November Sale.
Super Saver Colt Top Yearling Thursday
Calumet Farm secured the top-priced yearling of Thursday's session of the Keeneland January sale when acquiring a son of GI Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver for $100,000. The gray colt (hip 1314) was bred and consigned by Hidden Brook Farm.
“He was a nice horse and he was well-received,” said Hidden Brook's Dan Hall. “He was vetted several times, so we knew he'd do well, but he exceeded our expectations.”
The May foal is out of Silver Sands (El Prado {Ire}) and from the family of graded performers Shooting Jacket, Flower Forest, Karibu Gardens, Aldo and Southern Flu.
“He had a real nice walk to him,” Hall added. “He is a later foal and headed in the right direction.”
Hidden Brook purchased Silver Sands, in foal to Big Brown, for $65,000 at the 2014 Keeneland January sale. She RNA'd for $49,000 just a month later at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February sale.
Asked if expectations were for the now 11-year-old mare to be a short-term investment, Hall said, “It was the plan, but now we've got her and we'll see what happens. There is nothing wrong with having an El Prado mare.”
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