Book 3 of November Sale begins with top-lot honours shared at $310,000

Topped by two mares sold for $310,000 (£242,660/€281,335), the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale entered a new phase with Book 3 on Saturday, with a session that saw dips in gross, average, and median from the comparable day a year ago.

Keeneland reported 266 horses grossed $14,801,200 (£11,586,075/€13,432,510), down 15.6 per cent from the $17,541,000 paid for 264 head a year ago. The session average of $55,644 represented a 16.2 per cent decline from the $66,443 figure a year ago and the median fell 15.4 per cent from $52,000 to $44,000. The RNA rate was 25 per cent.

After four sessions, the sale is on almost even terms with 2018 as 902 horses (from 1,100 cataloged) have grossed $154,683,200 (up 2.8 per cent), an average price of $171,489 that is down slightly from the $172,016 cumulative average last year. The median price is $100,000, compared with $105,000.

View full results from the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale

"I thought the market really picked up, and I don't know if it's been an influx of buyers. I find that Keeneland, as the books end, a new group always comes in and it's hard to gauge when that new group is going to come in," said bloodstock agent Chad Schumer.

"But I do think there's some new buyers here today. I think it picked up. We've been very active today on all levels, so I feel like I got a pretty good idea and I do think it picked up rather significantly, say afternoon."

The session co-toppers were Ducru, a five-year-old daughter of Broken Vow consigned by Runnymede Farm, agent, as Hip 1433, and Ultimate Cause, a Giant's Causeway mare offered by Bluewater Sales, agent, as Hip 1301.

Ducru, in foal to Good Magic, who entered stud this year at Hill 'n' Dale Farms, was bought by Stone Farm. The mare is a daughter of the stakes-placed Dixie Union mare Union City, also the dam of multiple graded stakes winner Unified and stakes-placed Honkeytonk Man.

"We just love the family and Good Magic is an exciting young stallion," said Stone Farm's Lynn Hancock.

Hancock noted that Stone Farm's evaluation of Ducru was influenced by the looks of her weanling Violence colt that preceded his dam in the sales ring, going unsold on a final bid of $57,000.

"I was surprised at the price on the colt because he's a really nice, strong foal," she said.

"We were hoping for that kind of price," said Runnymede's Romain Malhouitre. "She was popular at the barn and we had the right people. So we knew had a good mare but you never know what's going to happen. She obviously has a nice foal by her side. It was a good day for us, and it's getting a little bit spotty."

Ducru had been purchased by Grandview Equine for $300,000 from Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency while carrying the Violence colt in utero at the 2018 Keeneland November sale.

Ultimate Cause, purchased by Green Lantern Farm, is a $107,751-earning daughter of the stakes-winning Empire Maker mare Supreme, who descends from the female family of Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands winner Monarchos. The mare is in foal to City of Light, who entered stud this year at Lane's End.

"Physically she had a really nice shoulder, a really deep girth, a very nice hip," said Patrick Masson of Green Lantern Farm. "I just liked her physically, I believe she'll be able to produce really good horses."

Masson said Green Lantern is planning to be a commercial breeding entity with a goal of breeding quality horses.

"We try to be as commercial as we can be, but at the end of the day all we want to do is produce and breed a very good racehorse," he said.

The market for weanlings continued strong Saturday, topped by a filly from the first crop of Claiborne Farm stallion Mastery purchased by Alastar Farm for $220,000.

Consigned by Claiborne, the filly out of the grade 3-placed Lion Heart mare Jungle Tale was bred in Kentucky by SF Bloodstock and Tuscany Bloodstock.

Bruce Wilkinson, who signed for the filly on behalf Lynn Alexander's Alastar Farm, said they were looking for weanlings by Mastery.

"This is the best I've seen," said Wilkinson, whose brother Jack manages Alastar Farm. "She has the physical presence, the demeanor, and I think Mastery is going to blow the roof off."

The second-highest priced foal was a Runhappy colt bought by Cooper Bloodstock for $175,000. Consigned by Moreau Bloodstock, agent, the colt bred in Kentucky by Moreau Bloodstock International and White Bloodstock is a half-brother to stakes-placed Wilko Rum and is out of the winning Pleasant Tap mare Pleasant Smile.

Agent Devant Latham purchased a 2019 Liam's Map colt out of stakes-placed Oil Painting for $170,000. A daughter of the multiple stakes-winning, grade 1-placed A.P. Indy mare Handcrafted, Oil Painting is a daughter of Distorted Humor who earned $256,466. The colt was bred in Kentucky by St. Elias Stable.

Latham said that for pinhookers like himself who are buying young foals to re-sell, the market has been strong at Keeneland.

"He's a beautiful, scopey horse and we're happy to have him," Latham said. "In this market, I'm very happy with that price. We were willing to pay a little more. From a pinhooker's perspective, it's a very, very strong sale, and it's tough to buy."

The sale continues through to November 17, with sessions beginning at 10am (local time, 5pm GMT) daily.

For more news on US racing, sales and bloodstock news visit bloodhorse.com