Keeneland September

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis The Keeneland September Yearling Sale opened with a packed pavilion and plenty of bidding from a diverse buying bench ultimately producing eight seven-figure sales led by a $2.3-million daughter of Into Mischief. At the end of the session, numbers were largely in line with the figures from the opening session of last year's record-breaking auction. "We were all biting our nails a little bit thinking about being measured up to last year's sale which was so phenomenal," said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. "But the...

Into Mischief was the undisputed star of the show on the first day of selling at Keeneland September, but Coolmore's Uncle Mo proved an able understudy, as his son of Helena Bay (GB) (Johannesburg) was knocked down to Donato Lanni, agent for Amr Zedan, for an even $2 million to become the day's top seller of his sex. Hip 154, a half-brother to 2014 KEESEP purchase and hot young sire Collected (City Zip), was bred by Runnymede Farm, Peter J. Callahan and Three Chimneys Farm. The Feb. 12 foal was...

The first foal out of 'TDN Rising Star' Guarana (Ghostzapper)--a colt by the ever-present Into Mischief--had interest from all corners of the Keeneland sales pavilion and was ultimately hammered down to Ron Winchell's Winchell Thoroughbreds for $1.4 million. Winner of the one-mile GI  Acorn S. and GI CCA Oaks going nine panels at three, Guarana picked up where she left off at four, winning the GI Madison S. over seven-eighths of a mile. Hill 'n' Dale consigned and ultimately purchased Guarana for $4.4 million with the Into Mischief colt in...

M.V. Magnier stretched to $1.35 million to acquire hip 130, a colt by Uncle Mo--Forever for Now (War Front) as the first day of trade at the Keeneland September Sale rolled on Monday afternoon. The Feb. 7-foaled bay was consigned to the sale by Penn Sales, agent for Bar C Racing Stables and is out of an unraced half-sister to the Irish Group 3-placed Carlisle Bay (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who was purchased by Pam Christopherson for $210,000 with the Uncle Mo colt in utero at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale....

The opening session of the Keeneland September Sale picked up considerable steam at its midway stage when a filly by Into Mischief and a colt by Uncle Mo made seven-figure prices back-to-back. The Gainesway-consigned hip 92 is a daughter of Grade III winner Delightful Joy (Tapit), a $700,000 purchase by International Equities Holding at Keeneland January in 2017 and also the dam of Window Shopping (American Pharoah), winner of this year's GIII Summertime Oaks for Perry and Ramona Bass and Richard Mandella. Hip 92 was hammered down to Sheikha Hissa's...

Robert Clay's Grandview Equine emerged victorious after a protracted bidding battle on the Gainesway-consigned hip 18, a colt by leading sire Into Mischief, who fetched $1.1 million in the early stages of Monday's opening session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington. The Mar. 31 foal is the second out of 2017 GI Test S. heroine American Gal (Concord Point), who was first purchased by Don Alberto Corp. for $2.2 million at Fasig-Tipton November in 2017 before selling to Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm in foal to Tapit for...

KENTUCKY DOWNS JUVENILE MILE S., $499,286, Kentucky Downs, 9-10, 2yo, 1mT, 1:38.17, fm. 1--ASPENITE, 118, c, 2, by Constitution 1st Dam: Aspening, by Candy Ride (Arg) 2nd Dam: Motokiks, by Storm Cat 3rd Dam: Matoki, by Hail to Reason ($375,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Glen Hill Farm (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Cristian A. Torres. $294,150. Lifetime Record: 3-1-1-0, $350,450. 2--Tough Little Nut, 118, c, 2, Palace Malice--Celestial Kitten, by Kitten's Joy. ($20,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Town and Country Racing, LLC; B-Austin...

It's a summer of firsts for Don Alberto. In June, the international operation owned by Liliana Solari and her son Carlos Heller celebrated the first Grade I winner in the United States bred by their American base when Arcangelo (Arrogate) scored in a historic edition of the GI Belmont S. Now, they are preparing to send 50 homebreds to the Keeneland September Sale. The contingent is led by an Into Mischief colt out of champion racemare Unique Bella (Tapit) who will be the first of their prized mare's progeny to...

With just around 100 homebred yearlings every year, WinStar Farm puts a particular importance on the Keeneland September Sale, this year selling four-fifths of their annual crop over 12 days starting on Monday, September 11. That importance could be about to pay off, as by all accounts the 80-strong WinStar-breds entered in the sale are a particularly strong group this year. "For us, it's the most important sale," concedes WinStar's general manager David Hanley. "It's the sale that really represents the market for yearlings. You've got the biggest amount of...

2nd-DMR, $82K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5fT, 6:30p.m. (ET) Talla Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds' SOHO (City of Light) gets her start for trainer John Sadler, who wins at a 7% clip with his first-time starters. The dark bay has been showing a progressive worktab leading up to this unveiling, including a five-furlong move in 1:00 1/5 (8/55) at the seaside oval Sept. 3. A $625,000 Keeneland September purchase, the daughter of Keri Belle (Empire Maker), a GSW on the turf, also holds the distinction of being the top priced filly...

One month ago, Archie St George hit one out of the park, striking with a colt by Into Mischief who snagged $1-million from Elliott Walden, bidding on behalf of the partnership of China Horse Club, Siena Farm and Maverick Racing at Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga Select Sale. In fact, the operation sold all five of the yearlings it brought upstate, averaging $529,000 while realizing $2,645,000 in gross revenue. Hoping to carry on that momentum into Lexington next week, St George offers seven yearlings in Book 1 of Keeneland's September Sale. "I go...

4th-Presque Isle Downs, $30,150, Msw, 9-5, 2yo, 6f (AWT), 1:10.67, ft, 4 3/4 lengths. BANNEKER (c, 2, Not This Time--Bosserette, by Street Boss), a $210,000 Keeneland September purchase, was the lone firster in a field of five and turned in a dominating debut effort. Off as the 29-10 second choice, the attractive dark bay broke on terms, but was content to take a trail from third through the middle stages. Going ominously well under a full-Nelson nearing the stretch, he was eased out and around odds-on Hector (Maclean's Music) in...