Keeneland January Sale Kicks Off New Year

Despite the winter storms that blasted the Bluegrass State over the past week, the Keeneland sales team worked to make sure the grounds were hospitable for both equines and humans ahead of its first auction of the year. One day out from the start of the 2025 January Horses of All Ages Sale, the barns were indeed abuzz with activity, offering no signs of buyers shying away from the snow. Keeneland will kick off the new year with a catalog of 1,317 horses for its January Horses of All Ages Sale. The sale will span three days this year, one less session than in years past, and runs Jan. 13-15, beginning each day at 10 a.m. ET. The catalog offers broodmares and broodmare prospects, short yearlings, horses of racing age, stallions, and stallion prospects. "We've been walking the barns and talking to the consignors, and they've been extremely pleased with the traffic," said Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy. "The buyers are finding that there's plenty of quality. "You see a lot of Europeans here this week, which is very encouraging. We've got Middle-Eastern representation, Japanese representation. It's a very broad buyers base, and that's something that's very important as we maintain that global outreach, and global relevancy going forward." Coming off very healthy editions of the September Yearling Sale and November Breeding Stock Sale, Lacy offered positivity towards the new year, noting the stability of the market. "As we look into the new year, there's a lot of people looking to regroup, buying young fillies, mares that are relatively young, and you see farms being purchased lately by new people," he said. "That's really, really encouraging, because when people are investing in properties, they're also investing in the industry." Some of the highlight offerings of the sale include Pretty Birdie (Hip 453), a grade 3 winner who is in foal to Candy Ride (ARG). She is being re-offered by Gainesway, agent for the Estate of John Hendrickson, after she was observed cribbing following the November Sale, where she sold for $1.1 million to Stonestreet. Rich in Whitney blood, the 6-year-old Bird Song mare hails from the family of Bird Town and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Birdstone. Re Entry (Hip 435), the dam of millionaire Shotgun Hottie, is also consigned by Gainesway. The 13-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon is offered in foal to Candy Ride, the grandsire of Shotgun Hottie. Shotgun Hottie sold for $1.5 million during the 2024 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale to Case Clay Thoroughbred Management. Lacy said the January Sale gives breeders an opportunity to buy before the breeding season ramps up, allowing them to regroup and find something to add to their program. "The short yearlings are something that have been very well received over the last few days," added Lacy. "You see a lot of quality now, especially with the McKinzies and Vekomas. Those young sires have shown a lot of promise with their first crop." Short yearlings in the catalog are represented by such first-crop yearling sires as Corniche, Epicenter, Jackie's Warrior, Jack Christopher, Olympiad, and Drain the Clock. Tried and true stallions such as Candy Ride, Curlin, Justify, Nyquist, McKinzie, Quality Road, Tapit, Twirling Candy, Uncle Mo, and Vekoma, are also well represented. "There's a lot of pinhookers and end-users here as well, which we feel very encouraged by because sometimes those yearlings start floating outside their budget," Lacy said. "Some of the most successful stables in the country, like Klaravich Stables for example, they've always bought weanlings and short yearlings to supplement their yearling purchases, and it has worked out very well with them. It's nice to see racing entities using it as an opportunity for that as well." During last year's four-day sale, Keeneland saw 864 head sell for $40,619,300; with an average of $47,013 and a median of $15,000. The RNA rate was 33%, representing the 213 horses who failed to meet their reserve. Prank, a daughter of Into Mischief and half sister to Belmont Stakes winner Mo Donegal, topped the 2024 sale at $1.6 million, selling to Tom Wachman, from Gainesway's consignment. Bourbiana, a filly by Candy Ride, from the family of Keen Pauline, was the highest-priced short yearling selling for $430,000 to John Stewart's Resolute Bloodstock. Steven Young was the leading buyer with three purchases totaling $2,025,000. Taylor Made Sales Agency reigned supreme as the leading consignor, selling 100 horses for $5,080,200. As of Sunday evening, Keeneland reported 147 outs for Book 1.