'The quality always draws international attention' - Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale comes under orders

Keeneland’s 80th November Breeding Stock Sale begins on Wednesday, for which 3,569 horses were catalogued.

The marathon event runs over nine sessions through to next Thursday, November 16, with the standalone November Horses of Racing Age Sale the following day. 

The Breeding Stock Sale features proven producers, coveted broodmare prospects who were successful racehorses, and royally bred weanlings at all levels of the market.

The auction will open with a single-day Book 1, starting from 1pm local time (6pm GMT), which will showcase an exceptional group of highly prized broodmares, broodmare prospects and weanlings. 

Broodmares in the catalogue for the opening session include Grade 1 producer Ack Naughty (hip 246), who is in foal to Into Mischief; Grade 1 winner Dalika (223), who is in foal to Flightline; and stakes winner Puca (191), who is carrying a full-sibling to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage. 

Racing or broodmare prospects catalogued to Book 1 include Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Caravel (210), who has earned nearly $2 million; 2023 Breeders’ Cup Distaff third-place finisher Le Da Vida (41); Grade 1 winner Rhea Moon (101); Grade 2 winner Skims (125); Grade 2 winner and millionaire Technical Analysis (145); Grade 2 winner and dual Grade 1-placed Bellabel (251); Grade 2 winner Interstatedaydream (201); and Grade 3 winner Surprisingly (140).

The November Breeding Stock Sale catalogue also included 11 horses from the estate of Michael Baum. 

Mt Brilliant Farm is handling the dispersal, which includes mares in foal to Candy Ride, Into Mischief, Maxfield, Mendelssohn and Uncle Mo, as well as weanlings by Candy Ride, More Than Ready, Street Boss and Street Sense.

Each remaining session will start at 10am local time, with Book 2 this Thursday and Friday, and for which more than 800 horses were originally listed.

Book 3 takes place on Saturday and Sunday, with a similar number of horses catalogued.

Book 4 runs across Monday and Tuesday, with Book 5 concluding the run on Wednesday and Thursday next week.

Established stallions and popular young sires are represented in the catalogue by in-foal mares and weanlings. One of them is Horse of the Year Flightline, who entered stud this year and has 11 in-foal mares listed.

A 2.5 per cent fractional interest in Flightline sold for $4.6m at the 2022 Keeneland November Sale - now mares in foal to him are among the offeringsCredit: Keeneland photo/ Photos by Z

Other stallions with their first in-foal mares in the catalogue include champions Corniche, Epicenter and Jackie’s Warrior; Preakness winner Early Voting; Belmont winner Mo Donegal; and Grade 1 winners Aloha West, Cyberknife, Drain The Clock, Golden Pal, Happy Saver, Idol, Jack Christopher, Life Is Good, Mandaloun, Mystic Guide, Olympiad, Pinehurst and Speaker’s Corner.

Broodmares in the catalogue are in foal to 170 stallions, among them American Pharoah, Authentic, Bolt D’Oro, Candy Ride, Constitution, Curlin, Ghostzapper, Good Magic, Gun Runner, Hard Spun, Into Mischief, Justify, Liam’s Map, Maclean’s Music, Maximus Mischief, Medaglia D’Oro, McKinzie, Munnings, Not This Time, Nyquist, Omaha Beach, Practical Joke, Quality Road, Speightstown, Street Sense, Tapit, Twirling Candy, Uncle Mo, Vekoma, Volatile, War Front and War Of Will. 

A total of 155 stallions, including the group named above, have weanlings in the catalogue. In addition, sires with their first weanlings include Horse of the Year Knicks Go, champion Essential Quality and Grade 1 winners Charlatan, Maxfield, Silver State and Yaupon.

Grade 1 winners of 2023 who were purchased as weanlings at the November Sale include champion Forte, who won the Grade 1 Florida Derby, along with the Fountain of Youth and Jim Dandy, both Grade 2. Additional Grade 1 winners in North America who were sold as weanlings at the auction are Angel Of Empire (Arkansas Derby), Exaulted (Shoemaker Mile) and Marketsegmentation (New York).

Around the world, two November Sale graduates have captured Group 1s this year. In Japan, Lemon Pop won the February Stakes, and in the United Arab Emirates, Sibelius took the Dubai Golden Shaheen.

Tony Lacy, Keeneland vice-president of sales, said: “The quality of our November Sale catalogue always draws international attention as owners and breeders look to the future by enhancing their broodmare bands and investing in foals.” 

The sessions will be livestreamed at Keeneland.com, with online and telephone bidding available. The Breeding Stock catalogue can be perused here.

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