$75k Maximus Mischief colt leads busy Keeneland session

The Keeneland sales grounds remained busy with buyers as Book 5 of its November Breeding Stock Sale began on Wednesday. Topping trade for Wednesday's eighth session of the sale was a colt from the first crop of Maximus Mischief, who sold on a final bid of $75,000 to Patillo Equine.

Through the first eight sessions of the sale, 2,002 horses have sold from 2,404 offered to bring total sales to $194,399,200, the average to $97,102, and the median to $50,000. The cumulative RNA rate is 17 per cent.

At the same point in 2020, 1,848 horses had sold from 2,235 offered to gross $150,646,500, with an $81,519 average and a median of $32,000. The cumulative RNA rate was 17 per cent.

Through Wednesday, Taylor Made Sales Agency is the overall leading consignor of Keeneland November, with 195 sold for a total of $22,646,000.

"[The sale] started off really strong and it's stayed pretty strong throughout," said Marshall Taylor, Thoroughbred adviser for Taylor Made.

"In the past I think you saw a bigger drop-off. There's been a lot of action in the back ring, a lot of action on the sales grounds. I think this year carried over from September. There was a bunch of action throughout the [Keeneland September Yearling] sale and November's the exact same thing it was in September, similar action."

During Wednesday's session, 260 head from 318 offered changed hands for gross receipts of $4,363,200, an average of $16,782, and a median of $12,000. The RNA rate was 18 per cent.

The eighth session of 2020 saw 256 horses sold from 292 offered to gross $3,797,300, average $14,833, and have a median of $8,000. The RNA rate for the same session in 2020 was 12 per cent.

The leading consignor Wednesday was Vinery Sales, which sold 30 horses for a total of $646,000.

Wednesday's leading buyer was Richard Barton Enterprises, which spent a total of $149,000 on six horses.

"It's a big improvement from Book 5 in previous years," Bradley Purcell, farm manager of Claiborne Farm, said of Wednesday's session. "There are a lot of people in the back ring here and a lot of people willing to spend and buy some nice mares."

Book 5 continues through to Friday, the final day of the sale, which will end with a consolidated horses of racing age session.

"I think it'll really help, actually," Derek MacKenzie, co-owner of Vinery Sales, said of the Book 5 restructure. "I've always been a supporter of leaving (horses) in on the last day and we've done well doing that. When everybody else pulls out, we stay in and do well. I think this will be even better with those horses [of racing age] there. It should keep the last day really strong, I hope."

Weanlings Lead the Way

The session-topping colt was one of six weanlings sired by Spendthrift Farm's young sire Maximus Mischief Wednesday, with the group achieving an average price of $38,500. A son of leading general sire Into Mischief, Maximus Mischief's 16 weanlings sold throughout the Keeneland November sale have averaged $46,250.

Wynnstay Sales consigned the $75,000 colt as hip 2804. The March 11 foal was bred in Indiana by Deann and Greg Baer and is the first foal out of the Uncle Mo mare Andapinkcarnation. The mare is a half sister to two black-type horses and a black-type producer.

The only weanling by Ashford Stud's Mendelssohn, whose first crop are yearlings, to be offered Wednesday brought $70,000 from Ron Shon to be the sale's second highest-priced horse of the day.

The Mendelssohn weanling, a filly, was consigned as hip 2997 by Little's Bloodstock, agent. Bred in Kentucky by Little's Farm and Pat and Gerald Cundiff, the filly is out of the winning Stephen Got Even mare Miss Vindictive. Her dam is a half sister to 2006 Del Mar Derby winner Get Funky.

Mares Remain Sought After

St. Simon Place and Machmer Hall teamed for the day's top-priced mare, going to $65,000 for Chelsea Road. The mare is an 11-year-old daughter of Speightstown and was sold in foal to Gift Box by Buckland Sales, agent.

Chelsea Road's first foal, the four-year-old Animal Kingdom filly Go Big Blue Natio, was third in the September 12 Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon Stakes.

Bred in Ontario by Eugene Melnyk, Chelsea Road is out of the Charismatic mare Lambert Point and from the immediate female family of Horse of the Year and dual classic winner Point Given. On the racetrack, Chelsea Road earned $153,248 from a 4-4-5 record in 24 starts while racing for multiple ownerships.

Shared Empire, a broodmare prospect consigned as Hip 2689 by Vinery Sales, agent for Myracehorse.com and Spendthrift Farm, sold for $62,000 to McMahon & Hill Bloodstock, agent.

The three-year-old daughter of Pioneerof the Nile was bred in Kentucky by Three Chimneys Farm out of the Indian Charlie mare Sapucai. Her female family includes Canadian champion female sprinter Moonlit Promise and 1992 Broodmare of the Year Weekend Surprise, dam of classic winners A.P. Indy and Summer Squall.

"She's beautiful," MacKenzie said of Shared Empire. "She had the half brother by Gun Runner that brought $775,000 [at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale], but she's just so beautiful. I guess the buyers couldn't help themselves wanting her.

"Most of the time [mares are exceeding their reserve], but there has been a few slippery spots," MacKenzie added. "I do a lot of homework in appraising them and there's always some that surprise you when they didn't make their reserve."

While strength was expected to carry over into the weanling market after a strong yearling sales season, the mare market has proven to be strong in November.

"We've been very pleased. It's been a very strong market for mares, especially young mares, and then the weanlings as well," Purcell said.

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