Keeneland sales reach staggering $400m to topple 2006 record - and it's not over

With not all of the demand quelled in the earlier books of the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the Book 5 sessions that wrapped up on Thursday in Lexington delivered more strong numbers as the sale entered the record books.

This year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale on Thursday became the highest-grossing auction in Keeneland's history following a session that pushed total sales to $399,940,000. The previous record of $399,791,800 was set during the 2006 September Sale.

With two sessions remaining, that gross for a total of 2,597 yearlings sold through the ring marks an increase of 15.7 per cent over the same period last year, when 2,545 horses sold through the ring for $360,579,000. The average price of $158,831 is up 12 per cent from $141,681, while the median of $85,000 is 13.33 per cent higher than the $75,000 median of 2021.

"This milestone was achieved through the persistence, energy and hard work of a community that includes our breeders, sellers and buyers, and we are grateful for their passion for the horse and for their support of Keeneland," said Keeneland president and CEO Shannon Arvin.

"It's an exciting time in our sport and, as we've seen at the September Sale, there is a strong desire to own racehorses. This is a moment we celebrate with the entire thoroughbred industry."

Keeneland reported 308 yearlings sold in the ring on Thursday for $10,335,000 for the session. That delivered an average price of $33,555 and a $25,000 median.

Those numbers are well up from last year's tenth session, although it is not a perfect comparison as last year's tenth session was the second-last in the sale while two more sessions (Book 6) remain this year.

Keeneland vice-president of sales Tony Lacy said it had been great to see the momentum carry deep into this year's sale.

"This is the goal we all work so hard to achieve, and we appreciate our sellers and buyers who believed in us and the changes we made to the September Sale format," he said.

"Book 1's tremendous success created momentum that carried forward through the sale and continues into the upcoming final days. With two sessions still to go, we've got many nice horses yet to be sold."

About three-quarters of the way through Thursday's session, internet bidder Mick Wallace, agent for St Elias Stables, secured a son of Girvin for $290,000. The price for the dark bay or brown colt consigned by Brookdale Sales topped both the session as well as the two-day Book 5 section.

"That was a very good price," said Freddy Seitz of Brookdale. "It just says this is a really hot market and it's really good if you got a nice one."

Bred in Kentucky by Brookdale Farm, Seitz said the colt progressed nicely going into the sale.

"He's always been a nice horse, a really nice, correct, good-moving horse," he said. "So it's just been a matter of kind of staying out of his way and letting him grow up. Our crew did a great job with him and they had him looking really sharp. So he's one of the easy ones."

The colt is out of the winning, stakes-placed Into Mischief mare Into Summer. The second dam, Summertime, by Siberian Summer, is a full-sister to Grade 2 winner Summer Wind Dancer .

Girvin's initial crop of two-year-olds are on the track, led by Grade 2 Saratoga Special Stakes winner Damon's Mound and Astoria Stakes winner Devious Dame. A Grade 1-winning son of Tale Of Ekati, Girvin currently ranks eighth on the freshman sire list.

The final Book of the sale will be offered on Friday and Saturday.

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