KEESEP

LEXINGTON, KY - Bidding continued to be solid for the prized lots, but the market was increasingly polarized as the second and final Book 3 session concluded Saturday in Lexington. Trainer Bob Baffert and Donato Lanni purchased the day's highest-priced offering, going to $450,000 to acquire a colt from the first crop of Unified on behalf of Mike Pegram, Paul Weitman, and Karl Watson. During Saturday's session, 239 horses sold for $18,364,200. The average was $76,838 and the median was $52,000. With 110 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate...

by Jessica Martini & Brian DiDonato LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland September Yearling Sale continued to see strong action at the top, but an elevated buy-back rate at the first of two Book 2 sessions Wednesday in Lexington. A colt by Uncle Mo from the Gainesway consignment brought the day's highest bid when selling for $950,000 to bloodstock agent David Ingordo. In all, 185 yearlings sold for $40,861,000. The average was $220,870 and the median was $180,000. Through three sessions, 394 head have grossed $126,076,000 for an average of $319,990...

The world-renowned Keeneland September Sale has been a long time coming this year. With the coronavirus pandemic canceling and postponing much of the sales season, all eyes are on Lexington this week as Keeneland hosts its first live in-person auction since COVID-19 first hit American shores. Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell joined the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland Wednesday as the Green Group Guest of the Week to discuss the obstacles faced by the company in conducting the sale and his early impressions of the trading. "We've...

by Brian DiDonato, Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis LEXINGTON, KY--With four of the day's nine million-dollar-plus horses selling in the final dozen or so hips to be offered, the second and final session of Book 1 of the Keeneland September yearling sale finished strong. The session topper and likely sale topper was hip 435, a son of Tapit out of the GISW and 'TDN Rising Star' Tara's Tango (Unbridled's Song) offered by Eaton Sales on behalf of Stonestreet Bred & Raised and acquired by a partnership between Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners,...

A Medaglia d'Oro half-sister to leading second-crop sire and MGISW Constitution (Tapit) was the first to reach the seven-figure threshold during Sunday's opening session of the Keeneland September sale when garnering a top bid of $1.1 million from Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm. Consigned by Denali Stud, Agent LIX as hip 58, the Mar. 21 foal was bred in a partnership between Bridlewood Farm and Don Alberto Corp. The powerful co-breeders paid a sale-topping $3.5 million for group-placed dam Baffled (Distorted Humor) in foal to Tapit at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton...

Outadore (Outwork) provided his freshman sire (by Uncle Mo) his second black-type winner in the space of eight days, working home best of all to take the Juvenile Sprint S. over a rain-affected Kentucky Downs turf course. Beaten for speed, Outadore settled in the second flight of horses as County Final (Oxbow) dueled on the lead inside of Bodenheimer (Atta Boy Roy) through the middle furlongs. Poised three deep as the field entered the straight, Outadore was roused to the lead leaving the eighth pole and held sway at stablemate...

Nashville (c, 3, Speightstown--Veronique, by Mizzen Mast) set sharp early fractions in the Saratoga slop on debut Wednesday afternoon and ran away and hid from his three overmatched rivals in the stretch en route to a 'TDN Rising Star' performance. The $460,000 Keeneland September yearling graduate, campaigned in partnership by CHC INC. and WinStar Farm LLC, sported a pair of flashy bullets on his worktab for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, including a five-furlong spin in :58 4/5 (1/20) from the gate at the Spa Aug. 9. The 1-5 favorite...

2nd-Gulfstream, $44,000, Msw, 5-9, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :52.63, ft. HYPERFOCUS (c, 2, Constitution--Discreet Meating, by Hat Trick {Jpn}) became the 50th worldwide winner for his second-crop sire, who scored both of his top-level victories at Gulfstream for winning trainer Todd Pletcher. Sent off at 5-2 in this career bow, the $100,000 KEESEP purchase raced off the fence in mid-pack as Breakthrough (Nyquist) and Peppi (Cajun Breeze) dueled through a swift first quarter in :22.07. Aggressively ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., the bay ranged up outside the top two turning for...

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. In this edition, Pit Boss (Union Rags) is highlighted following a second-place finish on debut for trainer Wayne Catalano at Oaklawn Park last weekend. Previous runners featured in this column include: MGISW and 'TDN Rising Star' Paradise Woods (Union Rags), GSW Backyard Heaven (Tizway), MSW and 'TDN Rising Star' Gidu (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), the highly regarded GII San Felipe S. runner-up Honor A. P. (Honor Code) and GII...

10th-GP, $45K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1mT, 5:38 p.m. ET MIGHTY ROAD (Quality Road), a $220,000 KEESEP yearling turned $1-million OBSAPR breezer (:9 4/5), makes her debut for trainer Chad Brown and owner HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud over the Gulfstream lawn. The 3-year-old filly is a half-sister to graded winner Decelerator (Dehere). Mighty Road's dam Paris Rose (Accelerator) is a half-sister to GI Test S. heroine Fabulously Fast (Deputy Minister) and Paris Notion (Dehere), dam of MGISW City of Light (Quality Road). TJCIS PPs

"Inside the Winner's Circle, Presented by Keeneland" is a series showcasing graduates of the Keeneland September sale who have gone on to achieve success on racing's biggest stages. 'TDN Rising Star' Valid Point (Scat Daddy) isn't exactly following the script his owners envisioned when they bought him as a $140,000 yearling at the 2017 Keeneland September sale. But the improvised rewrite this undefeated colt is orchestrating just might turn out better than the original story line, because the plot thickened considerably last Saturday when Valid Point roared home a length...