NEWS
Fillies rule day ten of Keeneland September sale
Posted: Thursday, September 24, 2009 8:09 PM
by Pete Denk and Steve Bailey
A trio of fillies brought the highest prices during the tenth session of the Keeneland September yearling sale on Thursday.
S G V Thoroughbreds paid $140,000 for the session topper, a filly by Malibu Moon out of the stakes-placed winning Quiet American mare My American Girl. She was consigned by Peter O’Callaghan’s Woods Edge Farm, agent.
A Tapit filly out of winner Malia, by Regal Classic, and from the family of Grade 1 winner and sire Twilight Agenda, brought the day’s second-highest price of $120,000 from Foye Genetics, agent for Whitehorse Stables. The filly was consigned by Padraig Campion’s Blandford Stud.
Tom Gentry, as agent, went to $105,000 to acquire a filly by Anabaa from Four Star Sales, agent. The filly, out of the winning Seeking the Gold mare Plaintiff, is from the family of graded stakes winners Adjudicating, Dispute, and Time for a Change.
Keeneland reported 271 of 355 horses offered on Thursday sold for $5,229,200, a 29.2% decline from the same session last year. Average price dropped 32.3% to $19,296, and median declined 35% to $13,000. The buy-back rate was 23.7%, slightly lower than last year’s 29.2% during the corresponding session.
Bloodstock agent Steve Bajer, agent for Dr. John Waken’s Gem Racing, purchased the session’s highest-priced colt, paying $100,000 for a son of Afleet Alex. Consigned by Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs, the dark bay or brown colt is the first foal out of the Grade 3-winning Tactical Cat mare Virden.
“Mr. Waken has a very good Afleet Alex filly right now in California with David Hofmans, a two-year-old who ran third first time out, and he wanted to find another Afleet Alex yearling,” Bajer said. “We’ve been underbidder here on a bunch of the good Afleet Alex yearlings.
“This one looks like you could train on him forever. He’s held his flesh well; he’s got great bone and a tremendous temperament. I loved the way he dropped his head and walked. I think he’ll be pretty athletic for how much body he has on him.”
Adena bred the colt in Ontario. Stronach purchased Virden in foal to Afleet Alex for $550,000 at the 2007 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.
“He was a good-looking colt, very strong and athletic, and we thought he sold awfully well,” Adena’s Mark Roberts said.
Cumulatively, Keeneland has reported that 2,299 of 3,233 horses offered have sold for $184,571,800, 41% less than last year. Average price is down 36.1% at $80,284, and median is down 42.9% at $40,500.
The sale will continue on Friday at 10 a.m. EDT at the Keeneland sales pavilion.
Pete Denk is sales editor of Thoroughbred Times
Steve Bailey is deputy news editor of Thoroughbred Times
