Broodmare Market Stays Strong Throughout January Sale

Orinoco River, a winning daughter of War Front, topped at $500,000, a robust market for broodmares and broodmare prospects during the second and final day of the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale held Jan.13. Eaton Sales consigned the 7-year-old bay mare, who is a half sister to multiple grade 1-placed, grade 3 winner Donna Veloce (Uncle Mo) and sold in foal to hot sire Not This Time. She sold to St. George Stables, the racing operation of Mexico billionaire Germán Larrea Mota-Velasco, who raced 2021 champion older dirt female Letruska. Orinoco River (Hip 863) initially left the auction ring as a $500,000 buy-back but was later sold privately to Mota-Velasco, who was one of several buyers hoping to add the mare to their broodmare bands. The mare has a yearling colt by Uncle Mo and produced a colt by Justify last year. "When she went through, it was kind of a flat part of the sale," said Eaton Sales' Reiley McDonald. "I got four calls immediately after she left the ring, and (St. George Sales) stepped up and bought her for $500,000. She is a beautiful mare who has pedigree behind her and is in foal to the king right now." Taylor Made Stallions' Not This Time, a son of Giant's Causeway, ended 2025 with titles as North America's leading turf sire and leading sire of 2-year-olds. He finished on the BloodHorse general leading sires list as the runner-up to seven-time leading sire Into Mischief. During the 2025 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Not This Time was represented by 14 seven-figure sales, topped by a $2 million filly bought by Cindy Heider and named Maranello. McDonald said the January broodmare market was especially strong for mares of genuine quality, commanding what he called "super premium" prices. "It is no longer like most years where there is a premium for these kinds of mares," he said. "At the high end, the demand is heavy and the supply is low. The middle and lower part of the market is pretty soft, which I think speaks to the whole horse business. With our middle and lower end, there is not nearly the demand there has been in the past. There are stronger players at the high end and plenty of them and plenty of money at the high end, so those horses are going for super premiums." The second-most expensive mare sold at Keeneland during Day 2 was Hip 596, a winning daughter of Uncle Mo named Black Magic Woman, who sold for $425,000 to L C Racing. Owned by Ramona Bass and her son Perry and consigned by Claiborne Farm, the mare is a half sister to grade 1 winner Magnum Moon (Malibu Moon) and is in foal to 2025's leading second-crop sire Vekoma. "The mare being as beautiful as she is and being in foal to Vekoma was a plus for everybody," said Jacob West, stallion seasons and bloodstock manager for Claiborne. "She was well sought after and showed with a ton of class. She is a very nice mare to be around. Ramona and Perry put a nice mare in this sale and got rewarded." West said the Basses put Black Magic Woman in the sale as part of managing their extensive broodmare band. "It is a numbers game, and she was the mare they decided to sell. I can promise you it was no easy decision for her," he said. West said he felt the demand for broodmares and broodmare prospects was very strong throughout the two-day sale. "We've been getting outrun on the ones that are big and pretty and in foal to right horses. Good-looking maidens coming off the track always bring a premium and it is no different at this sale," West said. The second session of the sale produced a $62,359 average from 110 broodmares sold. The average was up 72% from the second session of the 2025 sale, which was spread across three sessions instead of the two this year. Looking at the sale overall, however, the broodmare market still produced strong results with 204 sold for an average $91,223, which was up 92% from last year's sale primarily because this year's sale-topper brought $3.2 million compared to the top price of $700,000 a year ago. But even if the $3.2 million mare is backed out of the results, the 2026 sale broodmare average is still up 60%, The overall median price for broodmares also was up, jumping 75% to $35,000. An additional market indicator that speaks to the strength of this segment of the market is the buy-back rate, or RNA rate, which was 15% compared with last year's broodmare RNA rate of 25%.