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The Keeneland September Yearling Sale has etched its name in the annals of Thoroughbred auction history, becoming the highest-grossing sale ever with a staggering US$420,632,000 in turnover, including private sales. With two days still remaining, the Kentucky auction house announced on 19 September that it had surpassed the previous record of US$418,271,200 set in 2022 for 2,963 horses sold.
Through the conclusion of Book 5, 2,459 yearlings have changed hands for a 4.5% increase from the same point last year, when 2,515 horses grossed US$402,536,200. The international appeal of the sale has been evident, with buyers from China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and beyond flocking to Lexington.
Tony Lacy, Keeneland's vice president of sales, hailed the achievement: "It's a symbolic benchmark in many ways, because I think it just shows the strength of the industry here in the U.S., the health and the confidence that there is in the sport at the moment."
Lacy added, "Setting an all-time average record for a session of US$611,000 on the second day, all of these metrics just show how dynamic this marketplace is. We as Keeneland, take great pride in watching the results, because again, it means so much to our customers."
The momentum has shown no signs of slowing, with the 10th session seeing 278 yearlings sold from 343 offered for a total of US$9,306,000. The average price of US$33,475 and median of US$26,000 both marked increases from the corresponding session in 2023.
Brandon Rice of RiceHorse Stable praised Keeneland's global reach: "I've always been so impressed how Keeneland, as a sales company, has built the confidence from all the buyers from every corner of the globe, and it makes this sale where you can trust to put your finest horses here and they're going to meet the market."
One of the standout stories of the sale has been the performance of first-crop sire Beau Liam. The Airdrie Stud stallion saw his stock rise significantly when a filly out of Moonlight Kiss topped the 10th session at US$200,000. Consigned by Ledgelands, agent, the filly was snapped up by Tom Tatum.
Bret Jones of Airdrie Stud expressed his satisfaction with Beau Liam's progeny: "Athleticism is the word I think I would best describe (his foals). They're athletic horses, people who look into his race record and go back and watch his races and see how brilliantly fast he was, and I think there's an expectation that these foals can follow suit."
Beau Liam, who entered stud in 2022 for an advertised fee of US$6,000, has seen 19 yearlings sell for a total of US$1.5 million, averaging US$78,947. His top-priced offering, a colt out of Creative Trick, fetched US$270,000 from JPM Bloodstock, agent.
Another first-crop sire making waves was Caracaro, whose colt out of Paula Andrea commanded US$170,000 from Dr. Fawzi Bouresli. The colt, bred and consigned by Brandywine Farm, was the highest-priced colt of the 10th session.
As the sale enters its final stages, the industry's focus remains fixed on Keeneland. Kenny McPeek emerged as the leading buyer on day 10, securing four yearlings for a total of US$281,000. Taylor Made led consignors with a gross of US$758,500 from 30 horses sold, while Ashford Stud's Mendelssohn topped the sire standings with nine sold for US$376,000.
Lacy concluded by emphasising Keeneland's commitment to innovation and growth: "This is just an indicator of where we're going as Keeneland into the future, we want to be as approachable and dynamic as possible; as you see with a lot of our development that's going on in the facility, it's a display of our ambition, of our confidence, and just our overall mindset as we step into the next decade, if not two or three."
With the final hammer set to fall on 21 September, the 2024 Keeneland September Sale has already cemented its place in history, reflecting the enduring allure and vitality of the Thoroughbred industry.