Keeneland September

With thousands of horses on offer from the top of the market and on down, Keeneland September is unlike any other yearling sale and requires serious hard work and focus to shop effectively. We've caught up with several prominent buyers to find out how they attack the auction from pre-sale preparations and into the two weeks of selling. This first installment features trainer Ken McPeek, whose prowess at finding top athletes for value--often with less fashionable pedigrees--is well documented. Among McPeek's long list of KEESEP finds are Hall of Famer...

EQUIX, a Lexington, Ky.-based bloodstock agency, has appointed Sarah Thompson as an Equine Analyst. Thompson brings a diverse background in all aspects of the Thoroughbred industry. She most recently served as Sales Coordinator and Client Relations for South Point Sales Agency, and worked for other top consignors such as Gainesway, Bluewater, and Hidden Brook. Her dozen years of hands-on experience include yearlings and sales prep, horses in training with Jonathan Sheppard and at Bridlewood's training division, and mares and foals as assistant manager at Paul's Mill and Timber Town farms...

2nd-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 8-22, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:49.45, yl, 1 1/2 lengths. FORTINENO (IRE) (f, 2, Frankel {GB}--Rubina {Ire} {SP-Ire}, by Invincible Spirit {Ire}), backed to 6-5 favoritism for this debut despite a modest-looking worktab, traveled in a clear fifth as Seduce (Into Mischief) dictated terms through pokey fractions of :26.06 and :51.81 over boggy ground. Picking up a bit three wide nearing the lane, the $400,000 Keeneland September buy found her best stride passing the eighth pole and wore down the pacesetter in the final sixteenth to score...

A total of 4,034 yearlings have been catalogued for Keeneland's 78th annual September yearling sale, scheduled for Sept. 13-24 in Lexington, KY. "This is an exciting time at Keeneland as we welcome Tony Lacy as our new Vice President of Sales and Cormac Breathnach as our new Director of Sales Operations, while longtime Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell remains on the team in a consulting role," Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. "We have initiated a number of new features to further enhance the September Sale and facilitate...

Her World (Ire) (Caravaggio) became the first American winner for her outstanding young sire (by Scat Daddy), 14th winner overall and third black-type winner, leading every step of the way to beat the boys in Saturday's $100,000 Tyro S. at Monmouth Park and earning 'TDN Rising Star' status in the process. The second most expensive of 64 of her sire's yearlings reported as sold in 2020 when knocked down for $400,000 at Keeneland September last fall, Her World jumped as the 9-10 chalk despite her inexperience and was sent quickly...

1st-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 8-7, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:44.28, fm, 2 1/4 lengths. DRIPPING GOLD (c, 2, Lemon Drop Kid--Aurelia, by Danzig) was let go at a generous 63-10 off a 9-2 morning line and took advantage of a golden trip to score by a comfortable margin in the Whitney Day opener at Saratoga. In the early vanguard, Dripping Gold came back to Jose Lezcano to sit a close-up fourth for the opening six furlongs. Pulled off the inside to deliver his challenge passing the quarter pole, he pinched a winning...

1st-Saratoga, $80,000, Msw, (R), 8-5, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 1:03.60, fm, 4 1/2 lengths. MYSTIC EYES (f, 2, Maclean's Music--Cloudburst {SW}, by Storm Cat) suggested an affinity for the turf with a five-furlong spin over the Oklahoma track in 1:02 (9/28) around the dogs July 31, and the money that poured in late for her proved smart. Off at 65 cents on the dollar, the $40,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase was not the quickest away from the inside stall, but was hustled up to grab command moving down the backstretch....

Sunday, Saratoga AMSTERDAM S.-GII, $200,000, Saratoga, 8-1, 3yo, 6 1/2f, 1:15.46, sy. 1--JACKIE'S WARRIOR, 124, c, 3, by Maclean's Music 1st Dam: Unicorn Girl, by A. P. Five Hundred 2nd Dam: Horah for Bailey, by Doneraile Court 3rd Dam: Horah for the Lady, by Rahy ($95,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-J. Kirk & Judy Robison; B-J & J Stables (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Joel Rosario. $110,000. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 9-6-1-1, $1,058,964. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree 2--Drain the Clock, 124, c, 3, Maclean's Music--Manki,...

Munnyfor Ro (Munnings) completed a quick-fire stakes double for her outstanding sire, overcoming a tough trip from a double digit gate to take out Sunday's C$500,000 Woodbine Oaks in Toronto. Settled behind midfield through the opening furlongs, the $65,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase traveled four and five off the inside--though with some cover--down the backstretch and began working into it entering the final half-mile. Four deep for the run around the second turn, she sustained a long run despite the ground loss, hit the front in upper stretch and stayed...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Saturday running at Niigata Racecourse: 3rd-NII, ¥9,680,000 ($88k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m MOZU LOTUS LAND (c, 3, Tapit--Sacred Feather, by Carson City), a $425K Keeneland September acquisition by the owner of MG1SW and now Japanese sire Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}), was a debut sixth...

6th-SAR, $100k, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 3:55 p.m. ET A pair of promising-looking juvenile fillies will make their respective debuts while breaking next door to each other in this Thursday turf dash. EMPRESS TIGRESS (Classic Empire) made a big splash at OBS April when breezing a quarter-mile in an eye-popping :20 2/5, one of only two horses at the entire sale to hit that mark, and landed with Augustin Stable after the hammer dropped for $410,000. Trained by Jonathan Thomas, she's out of a half-sister to GSW/MGISP turfer Stays...

7th-Del Mar, $71,500, Msw, 7-24, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:04.44, ft, 4 3/4 lengths. DANCE TO THE MUSIC (f, 2, Maclean's Music--Beautified, by Congrats), apparently chilly-on-the-tote at 6-1, caught a flyer out of the gate and never gave her rivals a chance, streaking to a comfortable debut success Saturday at Del Mar. The scopey chestnut jumped right into the bridle and took them along at a good clip, covering the first couple of furlongs in a sharp :22.19. Galloping along on her own courage on the turn, Dance to the...