NEWS
Gross down 40.5% at Keeneland November sale
Posted: Thursday, November 15, 2001
Total receipts for the 11-day Keeneland November breeding stock sale fell drastically after more than 700 fewer horses changed hands compared to the second highest total in the auction's history just one year ago.Keeneland reported sales of 2,506 horses during the sale for a total of $179,568,600, down 40.5% from last year's total of $301,994,800 for 3,266 horses sold during the 14-day sale. The sale's average also suffered a sharp decline, from a record $92,466 to $71,655 in 2001, a decrease of 22.5%.
Newsells Park Stud finished as the leading buyer with $17,140,000 in purchases, while Live Oak Stud and Brushwood Stable each paid $4-million for horses at the sale. Eaton Sales edged out Lane's End and Taylor Made Sales Agency as top consignor, selling $20,655,900 worth of horses. William Farish's Lane's End was second with $17,828,400 in gross sales and Taylor Made was next with $17,663,300 in gross.
Stakes winner Grand Finale (Ire) topped the final session on a final bid of $35,000 from Michael S. Brown, agent. The four-year-old son of Sadler's Wells out of the Super Concorde mare Final Figure, Grand Finale won the Ballysax and Ballyroan Stakes at Leopardstown as a sophomore and is winless in one start this year, a seventh-place finish in the Pan American Handicap (G2) on March 11 at Gulfstream Park.
Consigned by Eaton Sales, Grand Finale is a half brother to Group 2 winner Market Booster and Grade 3 winner Spending Record.
Keeneland reported sales of 220 horses during the final session with a gross of $1,255,600 and an average of $5,707. During last year's comparable session, 223 horses were sold for gross of $1,661,300 and an average of $7,450.
Complete results are available at www.keeneland.com
