Mike Talla

LEXINGTON, KY - A bevy of high-priced yearlings provided a late spark to the first Book 3 session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, but the auction--which had kept pace with its record-setting 2022 renewal during Books 1 and 2--lost a bit of its steam as it entered into its second week Saturday. A total of 289 yearlings sold Saturday for $46,697,000. The average of $163,849 dipped 7.3% from last year's Book 3 opener and the median fell 7.1% to $130,000. The buy-back rate remained steady at 22%. During the...

Mike Talla and West Point Thoroughbreds partnered up to acquire a colt by Not This Time (hip 879) for $1.05 million from the St George Sales consignment Thursday at Keeneland. The yearling is out of Foreign Affair (Exchange Rate), a half-sister to multiple group winner So Perfect (Scat Daddy). He will be trained by John Sadler, who stood alongside West Point's Terry Finley during the bidding. The colt was the fourth seven-figure purchase of the auction for West Point, which teamed with Chuck Sonson and Woodford to acquire the sale's...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency GUN RUNNER FILLIES DEBUT AT CHURCHILL 7th-CD, $120k, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 3:57 p.m. Freshman sire Gun Runner is represented by a pair of debuting fillies in this six-furlong affair. Richard Baltas saddles PEACE PEDDLER (GUN RUNNER), a $200,000 KEESEP yearling purchase, for Calvin Nguyen. The bay filly is a daughter of Canadian champion Embur's Song (Unbridled's Song). Steve Asmussen sends out Stonestreet homebred Ari Oakley (Gun Runner), a daughter of Belle of Perintown (Dehere) and half-sister to graded winner Strike It Rich (Unbridled's Song) and...