As further testament to the depth of the recently completed Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the leading sires by average during the second week of the sale (Books 3-5) were not appreciably different than the leading sires overall.
The 12-day sale concluded Sept. 20 with a record $531,634,400 in gross sales, up 24% from last year's record of $428,097,000. The sale also boasted a record $172,833 average and a record $80,000 median.
Spendthrift Farm's Into Mischief was the leading second-week sire by average at $635,714 from seven sold. The next three in the rankings—Not This Time ($574,583), Gun Runner $(375,000), and Flightline ($331,429)—during the second week are all represented among the top four sires by average for the sale overall.
Three Chimneys Farm's marquee sire Gun Runner owns the top spot for the sale overall with a robust $877,125 average from 40 sold. Yearlings by the 12-year-old son of Candy Ride produced the highest average since 2017, when Gainesway's Tapit had a $950,000 average from 17 sold. The top three yearlings from the 2017 September sale were all by Tapit and all sold for more than $2 million, topping out at $2.7 million. This year, Gun Runner sired the sale's top two selling yearlings: a $3.3 million colt out of grade 2 winner Thoughtfully bought by M.V. Magnier, Peter Brant's White Birch Farm, and Winchell Thoroughbreds (who coincidentally raced Tapit); and, a $2.2 million colt out of Amour d'Ete (a half sister to 2004 champion sprinter Speightstown), who was bought by trainer Wesley Ward for a partnership that includes Ward's client Roy Israel, and the colt's breeder, Three Chimneys.
Taylor Made Stallions' Not This Time ranked second overall by average at $701,455 from 55 sold, and the next sires in the ranking—Lane's End's first-crop yearling sire Flightline, Into Mischief, and Tapit—all have averages above $600,000. Another indicator of this year's market strength is that among the September sales from 2015-2024, the highest sire average for six of those 10 years was below $600,000. Flightline had a $694,318 average from 44 sold, Into Mischief was $656,098 from 41 sold, and Tapit was $620,882 from 17 sold.
The enthusiasm for Flightline surfaced early with a colt (Hip 10) by him out of grade 1-placed grade 3 winner Lady Shipman, becoming the first seven-figure September sale purchase. Flightline would be represented by seven other yearlings to sell for $1 million or more out of a record 56 seven-figure sales overall.
Not This Time had the most seven-figure yearlings with 14, followed closely by Gun Runner with 12.
Among the other first-crop yearling sires, WinStar Farm's Life Is Good , Spendthrift's Jackie's Warrior , and Ashford Stud's Corniche were the leaders of their class by average during the second week of the sale and held their positions at the sale's conclusion. Life Is Good held the second-leading position with a $303,73 average from 60 sold, followed by Jackie's Warrior ($237,788 from 52 sold) and Corniche ($203,651 from 43 sold).
Five other first-crop yearling sires were represented by six-figure averages: Taylor Made Stallions' Early Voting ($152,146), Ashford's Epicenter ($136,640) and Jack Christopher ($109,669), and Juddmonte Farms' Mandaloun ($106,421).
| 2025 Keeneland September Yearling Sale Leading Sires | ||||
| Overall Leading Sires by Average | ||||
| (min. 3 sold, all sessions) | ||||
| Sire | Offered | Sold | Average | Median |
| Gun Runner | 46 | 40 | $877,125 | $687,500 |
| Not This Time | 65 | 55 | $701,455 | $600,000 |
| ¶Flightline | 51 | 44 | $694,318 | $550,000 |
| Into Mischief | 49 | 41 | $656,098 | $525,000 |
| Tapit | 21 | 17 | $620,882 | $550,000 |
| Curlin | 39 | 32 | $512,969 | $500,000 |
| Nyquist | 49 | 37 | $395,811 | $325,000 |
| Quality Road | 30 | 24 | $394,167 | $437,500 |
| Justify | 58 | 39 | $350,256 | $325,000 |
| Speightstown | 12 | 9 | $348,889 | $250,000 |
| ¶Life Is Good | 72 | 60 | $303,783 | $260,000 |
| Good Magic | 74 | 58 | $294,802 | $212,500 |
| Constitution | 62 | 55 | $282,927 | $210,000 |
| Uncle Mo | 85 | 68 | $268,721 | $242,500 |
| Ghostzapper | 21 | 18 | $239,000 | $167,500 |
| ¶Jackie's Warrior | 66 | 52 | $237,788 | $170,000 |
| Candy Ride | 29 | 25 | $228,640 | $150,000 |
| No Nay Never | 7 | 4 | $217,500 | $200,000 |
| Medaglia d'Oro | 24 | 22 | $206,318 | $212,500 |
| ¶Corniche | 48 | 43 | $203,651 | $170,000 |
| ¶ First-crop yearling sire | ||||
| Week 2 Leading Sires by Average | ||||
| (min. 3 sold, Books 3-5) | ||||
| Sire | Offered | Sold | Average | Median |
| Into Mischief | 7 | 7 | $635,714 | $375,000 |
| Not This Time | 15 | 12 | $574,583 | $425,000 |
| Gun Runner | 5 | 4 | $375,000 | $400,000 |
| ¶Flightline | 8 | 7 | $331,429 | $250,000 |
| Nyquist | 20 | 14 | $216,429 | $235,000 |
| Curlin | 5 | 4 | $212,500 | $215,000 |
| Good Magic | 40 | 33 | $211,848 | $140,000 |
| ¶Life Is Good | 31 | 26 | $187,577 | $177,500 |
| Uncle Mo | 35 | 27 | $185,481 | $160,000 |
| Ghostzapper | 15 | 12 | $185,167 | $167,500 |
| Beau Liam | 6 | 6 | $164,750 | $125,000 |
| ¶Jackie's Warrior | 41 | 31 | $163,710 | $140,000 |
| Liam's Map | 49 | 39 | $160,167 | $140,000 |
| Twirling Candy | 34 | 25 | $155,840 | $115,000 |
| McKinzie | 47 | 43 | $151,674 | $110,000 |
| ¶Corniche | 42 | 37 | $151,270 | $120,000 |
| Justify | 11 | 7 | $148,571 | $150,000 |
| Violence | 20 | 14 | $143,786 | $72,500 |
| Quality Road | 8 | 7 | $141,429 | $95,000 |
| Constitution | 32 | 30 | $139,033 | $125,000 |
| ¶ First-crop yearling sire | ||||
