Fools in Love Tops Keeneland's Third Day

Fools in Love, dam of group 2 winner Seahenge, was knocked down for $1 million to Cheveley Park Stud Nov. 9, the highest price early during the third session of the Keeneland November sale.

Consigned by Lane's End, the 11-year-old daughter of Not For Love sold barren on a cover to Speightstown .

Fools in Love was the 18th horse to bring $1 million or more during the first three sessions of the 2017 November Sale, equaling the number of seven-figure horses recorded during the initial three sessions last year.

Cumulatively, Keeneland has sold 430 horses for $115,770,000, a 13.96% decrease from last year's gross of $134,553,000 for 475 horses. The average price of $269,233 is down 4.96% from $283,269 in 2016, while the median of $157,500 is a 7.35% decrease from $170,000 last year.

On the first of two days of the Book 2 portion of the sale, Keeneland sold 229 horses for $31,774,000, up slightly from the corresponding session in 2016 when 222 horses brought $31,634,000. The average of $138,751 was 2.63% below $142,495 last year. The median of $120,000 increased 17.07% from last year's $102,500.

"Today's session had a lot of different buyers, along with some new people coming into the market," said Geoffrey Russell, Keeneland's director of sales. "But still we have some people left over from Book 1 who are shopping away. There is plenty of action in the barns, and people are pleased with what they're seeing out there."

"We're here to buy some special pedigrees and special mares," said Chris Richardson, managing director of Cheveley Park Stud.

Of Fools in Love, he added, "She's a proven producer and has good connections to the U.K. To whom she'll be bred to, we're not sure.

"I think that was a very full price (for not being in foal). It's nice to buy mares in foal, but she's a foundation mare and she has plenty of years ahead of her. We can cover her early next year."

Fools In Love, a half sister to 2015 Louisiana Derby (G2) winner International Star and the stakes-winning D C Dancer, has three foals of racing age and all three are stakes-caliber.

Her first foal is the grade 3-placed Urban Bourbon (by City Zip), and her second foal is stakes-placed Frank's Folly (by Mineshaft ). Her third foal, Seahenge (by Scat Daddy) is the "obvious connection" as far as Richardson is concerned.

On Sept. 16 Seahenge won Doncaster's Howcraft Industrial Supplies Champagne Stakes (G2) and later ran third at Newmarket behind U S Navy Flag and eventual Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) winner Mendolssohn in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes (G1).

"She was very expensive, but she is proven and she is an outcross," Richardson said.

"It was a big update there in the pedigree," Bill Farish of Lane's End said. "The 2-year-old (Seahenge) is now (a group 2 winner and group 1-placed). She's had three stakes horses in her first three foals, and she's open and ready to go, so I think she appealed to a lot of people. We thought she'd sell very well. We thought that was a very good price for her."

Taylor Made was Thursday's leading consignor with sales of $6,042,000 for 36 horses. With four purchases totaling $1.3 million, Baccari Bloodstock was the session's leading buyer.

The November Sale continues through Nov. 18, with all sessions beginning at 10 a.m. ET. The entire sale is streamed live at Keeneland.com.