Book 3 of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale got off to a strong start Nov. 7 with gains across all metrics—most notably a healthy spike in the median, up 40% to $75,000, compared with $53,500 during last year's corresponding session.
A total of 270 horses changed hands for gross receipts of $25,416,500, up 35% from $18,788,500 last year, when 260 horses sold. The average price spiked 30% to $94,135, from $72,263. Seventy-two horses failed to meet their reserve, resulting in an RNA rate of 21%.
"Today's session exceeded expectations, and it felt more like a continuation of Book 2 than the start of Book 3," said Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy. "The energy here has been tremendous, and we continue to see an incredible diversity of buyers eager to reinvest after such a strong year. There's a real sense of optimism and momentum that's carrying through every session and I think that's reflective of the buyers' confidence in the market."
Unchained Elaine, consigned as Hip 1049 by Grovendale Sales, brought $375,000 from CF Farms. The 3-year-old stakes-winning filly by 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah was offered as a racing or broodmare prospect. She is out of the graded stakes-placed mare Razorback Lady and was bred in Kentucky by Patrick Biancone.
"She's a gorgeous black mare, she looked particularly well, and the market certainly appreciated her," said James Keogh of Grovendale Sales. "We're very pleased, but not overly surprised with the price that she brought.
"She's a 3-year-old stakes winner by a very important stallion. It's a good market and a good market to be selling into."
Grovendale Sales was the leading consignor of the day with 19 from their draft bringing a total of $2,277,000.
Trinitas Place went to $360,000 for Calle Amada, a 4-year-old daughter of Street Sense who was offered in foal to Tiz the Law by Claiborne Farm, agent. The mare is out of the graded stakes-placed Ghostzapper mare Beloveda, who is the dam of five winners, including multiple graded stakes placed Ganadora. Calle Amada was bred in Kentucky by Gainesway Thoroughbreds and Brian Graves.
The top-priced weanling of the session came late in the day when Hip 1423, a filly by leading freshman sire Yaupon , sold for $375,000 to Cantada Stable from the consignment of Moreau Bloodstock International. The filly was bred in Kentucky by Moreau Bloodstock International and Redmon Farm. Out of the Smart Strike mare Southern Gem, Hip 1423 received a timely update Sept. 6 when her half brother Ole Crazy Bone won the Kentucky Turf Cup Invitational Stakes (G2T) at Kentucky Downs. The 5-year-old son of Ghostzapper boasts a record of 7-5-2 from 19 career starts and has earned $1.7 million.
"We felt like she (Hip 1423) was a very classy filly with a lot of quality," said Xavier Moreau of Moreau Bloodstock. "With the update she had, and Yaupon's progeny being so desirable, that's why we (aimed) for this sale. But, we were willing to buy her back and take her to a yearling sale if we couldn't get what we wanted.
"It is more than we expected. We always put a low reserve, I'm a breeder and I have to sell, but I know she was going to sell for a lot more than her reserve, because we had so much interest in her. We had so much vet work and looks on her, and very knowledgeable people were after her."
Moreau and Redmon Farm purchased the mare in 2022 at Keeneland's November sale for $75,000 where she was offered in foal to War of Will . Moreau sold the War of Will colt for $180,000 at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale to BSW/Crow Colts Group.
"I think the market is good if you have the right sires," Moreau said. "I've been selling at Keeneland for about 30 years, and I think the market is more polarized to the more commercial stallions. If you have a good weanling, physically, with no vet problems, that is by the right sire, obviously, you're going to be well rewarded."
Two weanling colts brought $310,000—Hip 1049, from the first crop of 2023 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mage , sold to Cherry Knoll Farm from the Vinery Sales consignment, and Hip 1161, a colt by Yaupon, who sold to Joe Pickerell's Pick View from the Pope McLean (Crestwood Farm) consignment.
READ: Goodwin Hits Home Run at Keeneland With Mage Colt
Faris Breeding was the leading buyer of the day with five weanling purchases totaling $955,000.
The fifth session of Keeneland's November sale begins at 10 a.m. ET, Nov. 8 with hips 1443-1857 scheduled to go through the ring. As of Friday evening, Keeneland had reported 94 outs.
