Keeneland September Sale

$1-Million Authentic Colt to Resolute at OBS

A colt from the first crop of champion Authentic sold for $1 million to an online bid from John Stewart's Resolute Bloodstock. Consigned by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds, the chestnut colt worked a furlong last week in :9 4/5. He is out of stakes-placed Ruby Trust (Smart Strike), a daughter of graded winner Queen of the Catsle (Tale of the Cat). Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo purchased the colt for $260,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

[ Read More ]
Saturday Insights: Pricey Quality Road Colt Finally Makes The Races At Santa Anita

6th-SA, $65K, Msw, 4-5yo, 7f, 5:59 p.m. ET At $1.15 million as the ninth highest price taken during Keeneland's 2021 September Sale, Mayberry Farm signed the ticket on behalf of Lee and Susan Searing's CRK Stable to acquire THEISMANN (Quality Road). Sent to John Shirreffs, the colt initially began to drill late in his juvenile year, but was given time by the veteran conditioner when he had several minor setbacks as a 3-year-old. Ready to fire as an 8-1 shot on the morning-line, the bay was bred by Dixiana and...

[ Read More ]
Saturday Insights: A 'Top'-Priced Son Of Twirling Candy Debuts At Gulfstream

8th-GP, $89K, Msw, 3yo, 1m, 3:37 p.m. ET. For a $1-million price tag, Sean Flanagan secured TOP CONOR (Twirling Candy) for his stable at last year's OBS March Sale, which tied the colt for the fourth-highest at the auction and made him his sire's highest-priced 2-year-old in 2023. Previously going for $200,000 during Keeneland September, the Chad Brown trainee is out of GSP Divine Dawn (Divine Park), who International Equities acquired with a filly by Nyquist in-utero for $285,000 at the Keeneland November Sale in 2017. A full-sister to GSW/MSW...

[ Read More ]
Thursday's Insights: Pricey Pletcher Colts Debut at Gulfstream

5th-GP, $89K, MSW, 4yo/up, 7 1/2fT, 2:09pm EST Trainer Todd Pletcher offers up a pair of seven-figure sales horses making their belated debuts. Victorious Racing LLC's SWORDOFHONOR (IRE) (Siyouni {Fr}) sports some pretty flashy credentials. The €1.5 million Arqana August yearling purchase is a half-brother to the year-older Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}), a two-time Group 1 winner as a juvenile who subsequently won last summer's G2 Celebration Mile S. at Goodwood. Consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux and purchased by Oliver St Lawrence, the bay was the second highest-priced...

[ Read More ]
Amor Fati, Daughter Of Liam's Map, Speeds To 'TDN Rising Stardom' At Gulfstream

Sporting the distinctive gold square on the front and back of Luis Saez's silks, it was first time starter Amor Fati (Liam's Map) who loved the lead and never relinquished it en route to becoming a 'TDN Rising Star' at Gulfstream Park on Sunday afternoon. The $375,000 Keeneland September grad posted a number of sharp works for trainer Brittany Russell over the past two months at her Palm Meadows base. Debuting as the 2-1 favorite here, the gray rocketed to the lead up the backstretch. Setting a strong pace up...

[ Read More ]
Sunday's Insights: Well-Bred Daughter Of Tapit And Unrivaled Belle Makes The Races

2nd-GP, $89K, Msw, 3yo, f, 7f, 12:38 p.m. ET. Whisper Hill homebred TAP MY BELLE (Tapit) makes her first start for trainer Ralph Nicks. The gray is out GI Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic heroine Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled's Song), who was bred and raced by Gary Seidler and Peter Vegso. Initially, she was purchased by Brushwood Stable for $2.8 million as the fourth highest price at the 2011 Keeneland November Sale. Five years later at the same auction, Whisper Hill made the mare the sales topper when Mandy Pope took her...

[ Read More ]
Well-Bred Curlin Filly Debuts for Pletcher at Big A

1st-AQU, $80k, Msw, 3yo, f, 1m, post time: 12:50 p.m. ET WEATHER DELAY (Curlin), the first foal out of MGISW American Gal (Concord Point), kicks off her career for Repole Stable and trainer Todd Pletcher. The 3-year-old was a $500,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase. Carrying the colors of Kaleem Shah, American Gal captured the 2017 GI Longines Test S. at Saratoga and the following term's GI Humana Distaff S. at Churchill Downs. She was also third as the favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. American Gal brought $3...

[ Read More ]
What Was Your Favorite Moment of 2023: Jared Shoemaker

As 2023 draws to a close, the TDN is asking industry members to name their favorite moment of the year. Send yours to [email protected]. The most memorable moment of 2023 was our Keeneland September yearling class assembling at the sale. I always look forward to that two-week stretch and the excitement surrounding all the new horses we bring into the stable. Twice this year, I thought we were finished buying...once after picking up the Caracaro filly and again after we bought the War of Will filly we were (and still...

[ Read More ]
Keeneland's Cormac Breathnach Joins the TDN Writers' Room

Keeneland's Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach previews Keeneland's Fall Stars Weekend and the upcoming November Sale.

[ Read More ]
Saturday's Racing Insights: Omaha Beach Filly Debuts Around Two Turns Over Turf

1st-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 6:00 p.m. WITHOUT CAUSE (Omaha Beach) tackles two turns over the turf in this debut run. Dam Without (Tiznow), out of MGSW Mary's Follies (More Than Ready), is a half-sister to GIII Transylvania S. victor Night Prowler (Giant's Causeway), champion female turf horse Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) and Japanese champion dirt horse Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah). Trained by Mark Casse, the $180,000 Keeneland September Yearling sale graduate will have Adam Beschizza in the saddle. Also out for her first test is Bridewood Farm...

[ Read More ]
$250,000 Practical Joke Colt Heads Keeneland's Book 5 Opener

A colt by Practical Joke led the way Wednesday, kicking off Book 5 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington. Consigned by Bluewater Sales, Hip 2980 is out of Jetbird (Wildcat Heir), a half-sister to Group 1 winner X Y Jet (Kantharos). "We were prepared [for the $250,000 price] because of the entire package," said CJ Thoroughbred's Corey Johnson. "We felt between $200,000-$250,000 was what it was going to take to purchase him. We were expecting somewhere around that number." On Day 9, Ashford's Practical Joke was the second...

[ Read More ]
Penn Family Riding High into Book 3 After Seven-Figure Sale

Alex Penn wasn't at Keeneland when his family's Penn Sales sent their first seven-figure yearling through the ring during Book 1 of the September Sale. He was back home in Bourbon County, busy prepping the rest of their consignment's yearlings pointing for the later books. "They were all drinking champagne and I was grooming horses," he said as he jokingly nudged his wife Kendra and laughed, because really, he wouldn't have it any other way. His family's business was founded a century ago as an all-purpose farm--over the years raising...

[ Read More ]
X

Never miss another story from the TDN

Click Here to sign up for a free subscription.