Cormac Breathnach

The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale concluded its nine-day run in Lexington Wednesday with vibrant trade from a diverse buying bench leading to across-the-board increases where were highlighted by a new sales record median. "Overall, this was a very strong, fair market from start to finish," Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. "Book 1 gross jumped nearly 15% from last year with a much-improved clearance rate and that momentum powered the sale through the final days." For the nine days, 2,158 horses sold for $196,442,900. The average of...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - Solid trade continued right through the conclusion of the second and final Book 2 section of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale Thursday, with the 3-year-old broodmare Finesse (Street Sense) bringing the section's top price of $900,000 when selling to Dixiana Farms. "It was really solid today," said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. "It was very competitive. I was speaking to a lot of buyers out there, and they were finding it very difficult to buy the foals that...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale produced a day of solid trade with the opening session of its two-day Book 2 section Wednesday in Lexington. For the session, 201 horses grossed $29,440,000. The day's average of $146,468 dipped 9.38% from the corresponding session in 2023, while the median remained unchanged at $120,000. "It was a good, solid day's trade," said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. "I think it was fair. There were some sticky spots, it was a little...

The inaugural Keeneland Championship Sale--part glitzy party, part horse auction--will be held in the Del Mar paddock Oct. 30, offering invitation-only attendees, as well as off-site bidders, the chance to become owners of horses running in the Breeders' Cup at the oceanside oval just days later. The catalogue for the auction was released Thursday, revealing full or fractional interests available in four Breeders' Cup contenders, as well as a stallion share in a fifth championship starter. The 12 offerings in the auction also include a half-sister to a Breeders' Cup...

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale, which surpassed its record gross Thursday with two sessions still to go, concluded its blockbuster 12-day run Saturday in Lexington with increases across the board over its 2023 renewal. In addition to its record gross, the sale produced its highest-ever average and a tied its record median. "The energy here was at times reminiscent of another era," said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. "When we were on inspections earlier this year, we saw quality and consistency among the crop, and it gave us...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, Ky - With a pair of seven-figure colts by Nyquist leading the way, trade remained strong straight through the conclusion of Book 2 during the fourth session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale Thursday in Lexington. "It was a great day," said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy at the close of business Thursday evening. "We are very pleased. The median is up 25% for the session over last year, which is a metric that we always use. That shows that it...

by Jessica Martini and Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY -- The momentum which began with a competitive Book 1 section rolled into Book 2 with a trio of yearlings bringing seven figures and continued increases over last year during the third session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington Wednesday. "We saw the same kind of momentum and trends just rolling over," said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. "There was a great positivity around the grounds. Consignors were invariably very pleased. And buyers found it tough and a...

Keeneland will host its April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale following Friday's 10-race card on closing day of the Spring Meet. The fledgling auction will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET. Keeneland's final race will go off at approximately 5:09 p.m. ET. A total of 134 horses--and still growing--have been catalogued to the one-day sale. "It's an exciting sale," Keeneland's Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach said earlier this week. "It's kind of a celebration of the end of our race meet and it also kicks off Derby week. This...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm LEXINGTON, KY - Driven by strong demand at the top--which saw the auction produce its first seven-figure horses in five years--the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale concluded Thursday in Lexington with a fairly steady average, but a double-digit decline in median. "I think it's been a very fair and stable market," said Keeneland Director of Sales Tony Lacy. "We saw a lot of stability and a lot of good trade going on. When you look at the fact that we haven't had...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm LEXINGTON, KY - During a session dominated for much of the day by the short yearlings, the supplemented broodmare Sebago Lake (Tapit) jumped to the lead in the final hips when selling for $700,000 to Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm. Overall, through two days of the four-day auction, 430 head have grossed $31,596,700 for an average of $73,481 and a median of $30,500. With continued strength at the top of the market, the Book 1 average dipped just 3.39% from a year ago, but...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, which hadn't had a million-dollar mare since 2019, had two reach seven figures during its opening session Monday in Lexington, with 19-year-old Tom Wachman making the day's highest bid of $1.6-million to acquire the broodmare prospect Prank (Into Mischief) on behalf of his grandfather, John Magnier's Coolmore. Late in the session, Tomoyuki Nakamura of K I Farm purchased Curlin's Voyage (Curlin) for $1 million. "I think we've got to be very happy with...

The Keeneland November Breeding Stock concluded its nine-day run in Lexington Thursday with numbers off from its 2022 renewal in what Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy called a "pragmatic, solid sale." At the close of business Thursday, 2,128 horses had sold through the ring for $176,571,000. The average of $82,975 was down 16.94% from a year ago, while the median of $32,000 was down 20.00%. "Overall, it's been a very pragmatic, solid sale," said Lacy. "Demand for quality is extremely strong, probably as strong as ever, and that's...