You're To Blame tops eighth session of November Sale

Horses of racing age featured during the eighth session of the Keeneland November Breeding-Stock Sale, with You're To Blame bringing the highest price of $440,000, paid by agent Steve Young.

The three-year-old Graded stakes-placed son of Distorted Humor comes from the family of multiple champion Gio Ponti. Lane's End consigned You're To Blame, third in the Grade 3 Bay Shore Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack in April. Young said the colt, out of the stakes-winning Malibu Moon mare Bon Jovi Girl, will be sent to trainer Todd Pletcher to continue his racing career.

"I think he is the best horse selling today," Young said. "He has a lot of blue sky to him. He is a horse who has a chance to build on what he has done."

Young was Tuesday's leading buyer, acquiring two horses for $590,000.

View sales results

On Tuesday, Keeneland registered total sales of $10,174,500 for 270 horses, down 6 per cent from the comparable session last year when 287 horses brought $10,833,700. The average of $37,683 was nearly even with last year's $37,748, while the median of $27,000 rose 35 per cent from $20,000 in 2016. Last year's eighth session included the sale of 50 horses of racing age for $4,250,500 in the males' portion of the complete dispersal of Conquest Stables.

Through eight sessions of the 12-day sale, Keeneland sold 1,734 horses for $193,781,900, down 5 per cent from the $204,011,000 for 1,695 horses through the same period in 2016. The average of $111,754 is 7 per cent lower than last year's $120,360, and the median of $52,000 remained unchanged.

Machmer Hall paid $240,000 for That's A Lady, a four-year-old stakes-placed daughter of City Zip who has been racing in Southern California. Lane's End consigned the half-sister to Grade 3-placed Desert Dynamo and Ambusher from the family of Grade 1 winners Sailor's Valentine and Coup De Fusil. She is out of the Dixie Union mare Competition.

Birthday present

"I probably just paid $100,000 more than they wanted me to pay, so I said, 'It's my birthday present,' which was last month," said Sandy Fubini, who owns Machmer Hall with her daughter and son-in-law, Carrie and Craig Brogden. "We waited all day for this one. Carrie talked about running her next year. We knew she was going to be expensive. When Craig saw her yesterday, he said, 'buy that mare'."

ELiTE consigned two horses that sold for $190,000 each, the third highest price of the day. Robert Marzilli of Toronto spent $190,000 to acquire Code Warrior, a four-year-old daughter of Society's Chairman who won the Grade 3 Hendrie Stakes at Woodbine in June.

"We've been following her for a long time," said trainer Mike de Paulo, who signed the ticket. "We're going to bring her back to Toronto, run her there and maybe run her a little over the winter at Gulfstream."

David Meah, as agent, paid $190,000 for Next Shares, a Graded stakes-placed winner of his last two starts, which were an October 15 allowance race at Belmont Park and a November 10 allowance at Aqueduct. A four-year-old son of Archarcharch, Next Shares is a half-brother to stakes winner Angelica Zapata.

Global Thoroughbred went to $105,000 to acquire the top-priced weanling, Imwaytoocoolforyou, by Tiznow. Denali Stud consigned the filly, who is out of Grade 2 winner Mini Sermon, by Pulpit, and from the family of champion Minstrella and Grade 2 winner A Little Warm.

Complete package

"She is the whole package," said Rafael Celis, who signed the ticket. "She has the pedigree and she has the conformation. We loved her. We might race her; we might resell her. We will wait and see how she develops."

WinStar Racing was Tuesday's leading consignor, selling 24 horses for $1,275,500.

The November Sale continues through to November 18 with all sessions beginning at 10am ET.