The 2017 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale concluded yesterday, 11/18/17. It was a spectacular sale with high demand for the best quality weanlings, mares and horses of racing age. With so much to say in the recap, I think it might be best to let the numbers speak for themselves.
- 6 Books made up the sale
- 115 horses less qualified for Book 1 than the year before
- 4,145 horses were catalogued
- 2,424 horses sold at this auction versus 2,653 last year
- 12 days were spent at the auction
- 18 horses sold for $1 million dollars or more
- 1 of the million dollar babies was a colt sired by Curlin, the dam was Violent Beauty
- 17 of the million dollar plus horses were broodmares or broodmare prospects
- 17 of the 6 figure horses were listed in Book 1
- $6 million dollars was the sale-topping price brought by broodmare prospect, Stellar Wind. She was sold by Lane’s End to M.V. Magnier to be bred to American Pharoah
- $2.3 million for Cathryn Sophia (in foal to Pioneerof the Nile)
- $2.1 million for For Royalty (in foal to Bernardini)
- $2 million for Enchanted Rock (in foal to Verrazano)
- $1.9 million for Oscar Party (in foal to Tapit)
- $1.8 million for Royal Obsession (in foal to Curlin)
- $1.7 million for Paola Queen -prospect
- $1.65 million for Tammy the Torpedo (in foal to War Front)
- $1.5 million for Street Fancy (in foal to Medaglia d‘ Oro)
- $1.5 million for Her Emmynency (in foal to Pioneerof the Nile)
- $1.5 million for Sky Girl (in foal to Union Rags)
- $1.4 million for Weekend Whim (in foal to Medaglia d’ Oro)
- $1.25 million for Lucky to Be Me (in foal to Uncle Mo)
- $1.25 million for Life Well Lived (in foal to American Pharoah)
- $1.05 million for Wapi (in foal to Curlin)
- $1.05 million for Belle Watling (in foal to Medaglia d’ Oro)
- $1 million for Fools in Love -likely a prospect
- 224 horses were sold by the top consignor, Taylor Made Sales Agency
- 1 horse purchased, the $6 million dollar Stellar Wind, made M.V. Magnier the top buyer in terms of money
- 59 was the top number of horses bought by a single buyer, K.O.I.D. from Korea
- 20 foreign countries bought horses at this sale
- $8.397 was the gross price for top sire Curlin’s 14 offspring that sold
- 36 offspring each was the tie for Giant’s Causeway and More Than Ready for the largest sold representation in the sale for sires
- $7.91 million was the gross for top covering sire, Medaglia d’ Oro’s 9 horses that sold
- 27 horses were sold belonging to covering sire, Bodemiester, to make him the most common sire of the weanlings that sold
- $202,021,700 was the gross for the sale versus $215,213,000 in 2016
- $83,342 was the average at this sale up from $81,121 last year
- $30,500 was the median price compared to $25,000 in the prior year
The sale was a success and on pace with what we have seen in recent times. It is an exciting time to be a Thoroughbred racing fan. There is so much promise and possibility with these new weanlings, the mares in foal and mares bought to be bred. Don’t forget about the horses or racing age, Keeneland grads have a history of success on the track. Happy Thanksgiving and I will be sharing a Thoroughbred horse farm visit scheduled this week as well.
