Uncle Mo colt leads way on day three of the January Sale

The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale entered a new phase with Book 2 during the third session on Wednesday, with a yearling by prominent sire Uncle Mo leading the way at $400,000.

Purchased by Springhouse Farm, the Uncle Mo colt (hip 830) consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency is the highest price paid for a yearling on day three in Keeneland January sale history, according to BloodHorse MarketWatch.

Keeneland reported 232 grossed $5,207,200, for an average of $22,445 and a median of $12,000. During the comparable session a year ago, 244 head averaged $16,956 on gross receipts of $4,137,300 and an $8,000 median price.

Cumulatively, 703 horses have grossed $37,624,800 for an average of $53,520 and a median of $25,000. At the same juncture a year ago, when the sale was topped by the $5 million Abel Tasman, 731 horses grossed $44,408,100, with an average price of $60,750 and a median price of $24,000. The 204 horses that have not sold represent an RNA rate of 22.5 per cent.

The day's second-highest price of $240,000 was paid by Doug Arnold of Buck Pond Farm for Elle's Town (1035), a four-year-old Speightstown filly who finished second in the Pago Hop Stakes at Fair Grounds in late December to improve her bankroll to $114,615, with one win and nine placings in 16 starts.

Consigned by Bluewater Sales, agent, the filly represented a healthy profit for Three Diamonds Farm, which bought the filly for $77,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale.

Bred in Kentucky by Forging Oaks, Elle's Town was produced from the stakes-winning, Grade 3-placed Midnight Lute mare Irish Presence.

"She's beautiful and has a great pedigree," Arnold said, noting his client planned to keep the filly in training.

View sale results and buyers

Bringing the third highest price of the day, a colt by Constitution (908) sold to Solis/Litt for $210,000 from the Taylor Made consignment. The New York-bred yearling is the first foal out of the Tiznow mare Tiz Willy.

Folk Legend, a racing or broodmare prospect with two major recent updates in her female family, was purchased by Healthy Wood from Taylor Made for $150,000.

Catalogued as hip 1054, Folk Legend is a four-year-old daughter of Tapizar produced from champion and multiple Grade 1 winner Folklore. Folk Legend, bred in Kentucky by the Robert and Beverly Lewis Trust, broke her maiden at Turfway Park since the catalogue was published.

Her half-sister, the Unbridled's Song mare Rhodochrosiste, is the dam of Contrail. A son of leading Japanese stallion Deep Impact, Contrail is one of Japan's leading three-year-old prospects after winning all three starts as a two-year-old.

Since the Keeneland catalogue was published, the colt won the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes in late December to go with a victory in the Grade 3 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes.

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