The market showed no sign of slowing as Keeneland concluded its eighth day of the September yearling sale.
Two horses – a colt and a filly – each brought the day’s top price of $260,000. Marsha Naify signed the ticket for a colt by Cape Town from the consignment of Jim and Pam Robinson’s Brandywine Farm LLC, agent for Liberation Farm and Brandywine. The colt is out of the stakes-placed Nureyev mare Proper Dance, a half-sister to Jerome Handicap (gr. II) winner and stallion Doneraile Court.
Tom Gentry, as agent, went to $260,000 to purchase a filly by Mr. Greeley out of the Touch Gold mare Wild Crazy Lady, and from the family of major stakes winners Behrens and Hot Novel. The filly was consigned by Highclere Sales, agent.
For the session, Keeneland reported 286 horses sold to gross $15,969,400. The average was $55,837 and the median $40,000.
The buy-back rate was 22.9%, an increase of 21.4% from last year's session rate of 19.2%.
Compared to the same session one year ago, the number of horses sold (286) decreased 2.7%. The gross increased 5.6% from last year's figure of $15,115,500. The average jumped 8.6% from last year's mark of $51,413. The median remained level at $40,000.
Keeneland director of sales Geoffrey Russell said he was pleased overall with the success of the sale thus far. "The median remaining level is very positive and the gross being up is very good thus far into the sale.
"I think this year's sale is more impressive or there are more enthusiastic buyers than last year," Russell continued. "Everyone is concentrating on the top end, but the middle has been phenomenal. There is this old adage that good horses bring good money and that is what we are seeing here. It cost a lot of money to buy a good horse."
Compared to the first eight days of the 2006 sale, the number of horses sold decreased 2% from 2,023 to 1,983. The gross dropped 6.9% from $365,071,000 to $340,060,000. The average decreased 5% from $180,460 to $171,488. The median grew 11.1% from $90,000 to $100,000.
The cumulative buy-back rate is 25.1%, an increase of 9.6% from last year's rate of 22.9%.
Second-highest price of the day was $250,000, paid by Ben Glass, agent, for a colt by Johannesburg out of Falun Dafa, by Editor’s Note. Consigned by Mr. and Mrs. Jody Huckabay’s Elm Tree Farm, agent, the colt is from the family of multiple graded stakes winner During.
The session continues Sept. 19 with the session beginning at 10 a.m.