Gains were posted across the board during the second-to-last day of the Keeneland November mixed sale Nov. 18.
Counselled, a winning son of champion filly Countess Diana, topped the session when Dr. Oscar Benavides, agent, paid $80,000 for the 3-year-old A.P. Indycolt. He was offered as a racing or stallion prospect by Cardinal Stables.
Countess Diana, who died last year, was named champion 2-year-old filly of 1997 and is the dam of a stakes-winning full sister to Counselled named Mama Nadine.
For the session, the sale company reported 169 horses sold for a gross of $1,432,300. Compared with the same session one year ago, the gross increased 35.9% from when 125 horses sold for $1,053,600. The session average of $8,475 was up a slight 0.5% from $8,429 in 2006, and the median was up 15.4% to $6,000 from $5,200.
The highest-priced weanling of the day was a chestnut colt by Kela who sold to Dreamfields for $44,000. Consigned by Margaux Farm, agent for Beth Ann Brown-Gambone, the colt is out of the winning Majestic Light mare Front Row Seat.
The top-selling broodmare prospect of the penultimate session was Barbara's Wildcat, who sold to Machmer Hall Racing for $35,000 from Warrendale Sales, agent for Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings. The 3-year-old Forest Wildcat filly won two starts this year.
Cumulatively, 3,267 horses have been sold for $340,203,700, for an average of $104,133 and a median of $35,000. Session 14 was the last day of the sale in 2006, which realized a total of 3,147 horses sold for $313,843,800. Last year's cumulative average was $99,728, and the median was $35,000. Gross is up 8.4%, and the average is up 4.4% from last year, while the median is flat.
The 15th and last session of the 2007 Keeneland November mixed sale will be held Nov. 19 beginning at 10 a.m. EST.