Beholder's half-brother the star of the third session at $3m

Buyers' appetites for yearlings by leading sires Tapit and War Front fueled a frenzied third session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale on Wednesday, which was topped by a Scat Daddy colt sold for $3 million.

After the first two sessions, in which the seven-figure mark proved mostly elusive, there were six yearlings that brought prices of $1 million or more Wednesday. Three were by Gainesway's leading sire Tapit and two by Claiborne Farm's War Front.

For the session, Keeneland reported 119 yearlings averaged $401,134, up nearly 30 per cent over the comparable session a year ago for a gross of $47,735,000. A larger Book 1 catalogue last year saw 151 horses bring $46,754,000. The session median rose 20 per cent to $300,000 from $250,000, and the buy back rate was just shy of 25 per cent.