Frank Stronach's Adena Springs bought the three highest-priced yearlings at the Sept. 22 session of the Keeneland September yearling sale, paying $110,000 each for a filly by Proud Citizen and a filly by Midnight Lute .
The Proud Citizen filly, consigned by Warrendale Sales, agent for breeder Tall Oaks Farm, is the first foal from the stakes-winning Horse Chestnut mare In Return. Tall Oaks had purchased In Return, then carrying the Proud Citizen fillly, for $32,000 from the Denali Stud consignment to the 2009 Keeneland November sale.
Warrendale also consigned the Midnight Lute filly, bred in Kentucky by Beclawat Stable. She was produced from the Deputy Commander mare Per Se and is from the family of group III winner Putra and stakes winner My Main Starr.
Adena Springs went to $80,000 to acquire an E Dubai colt from Jim and Pam Robinson's Brandywine Farm. The colt, out of the Dixieland Band mare Papalma, is a full brother to multiple graded stakes winner Aggie Engineer and was bred by Brandywine.
Adena Springs led all buyers by gross at the session, paying $647,000 for a dozen yearlings. The average was $53,917. Kenneth McPeek, agent, was the second-leading buyer by gross expenditures, with $209,000, followed by J. Brocklebank, agent for William R. Peeples ($170,000), Hugh H. Robertson ($115,000), and Mike Puhich, agent ($98,000).
William S. Farish’s Lane’s End Farm was the leading consignor by gross. The 32 yearlings that found new homes sold for $598,500. Select Sales was next with $496,000, followed by Warrendale ($399,200), Brandywine Farm ($322,700), and Paramount Sales ($293,000) rounding out the top five. Four Star Sales LLC and Taylor Made Sales Agency finished closely behind, with respective figures of $292,800 and $290,400.
Keeneland reported that during the 11th session of the sale, 291 horses sold for $5,131,100, an increase of 62.6% from 2010 when 278 horses brought $3,155,000. The average of $17,633 was up 55.3% from last year’s $11,349, while the median rose 50% to $12,000 compared to $8,000 in 2010, according to Keeneland.
Through Sept. 22, Keeneland reported having sold a total 2,539 horses for $220,318,600, up 12.3% over last year’s $196,036,100. Average price of $86,774 increased 17.9% over the $73,560 recorded in 2010. The median of $40,000 rose 25% from $32,000.
The September sale continues through Saturday, Sept. 24. Sessions begin at 10 a.m. EDT.
It should be noted the daily session-by-session comparisons being reported are not chronological comparisons with last year’s Keeneland September results. Because Book 2 of the sale is only three days this year instead of four days as it was in 2010, the sale company is making its daily comparisons by book instead of by session. This means the statistics for day six Saturday, Sept. 17, (which was the first day of Book 3) were actually compared with Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010, when Book 3 started a year ago. The session-by-session comparisons have been offset by a day since Sept. 17.
