The Keeneland September Yearling Sale has demonstrated exceptional financial performance, surpassing last year's record turnover by the ninth of its twelve sessions. As of Wednesday, the total sales reached $531,739,400. The market's strength is further evidenced by the sale of 2,177 horses at an average price of $244,565, marking a 7.3% increase from the previous year, and a median price of $150,000, up 7.1%. A notable indicator of the high-end market's vigor is the sale of 70 yearlings for $1 million or more, compared to 56 in the prior year.
The robust trend continued through the tenth session on Thursday, which generated $14,219,000, a 13.16% increase from the corresponding session last year. This session saw 311 yearlings sold, with a Vekoma colt fetching the top price of $260,000. The cumulative gross receipts reached $525,899,500 through ten sessions, outperforming last year's figure by 5.14% for the same period. The average price for these 2,338 yearlings stood at $224,936, a 6.67% increase, and the median rose 4.17% to $125,000.
Keeneland's Vice President of Sales, Tony Lacy, noted the market's strength and the quality of the horses, stating that surpassing last year's entire through-the-ring gross with three sessions remaining "speaks volumes." The demand for quality horses has been consistently high, leading to significant benchmarks, including 65 horses selling for $1 million or more by the end of Week 1, exceeding last year's record of 56. While buyer demand remains strong, the RNA rate (return not sold) for Week 1 was 30%, up three points from last year.
The sale's early stages also saw impressive figures. By the end of Week 1, the gross through-the-ring sales for the first four days totaled $318,115,000 for 633 horses. The highest seller was an Into Mischief colt, which sold for $3.7 million. For this initial period, the average price was $502,551, a 9.61% increase, and the median was $360,000, up 2.86%. Leading buyers and consignors included St. Elias, West Point, Lane’s End Racing and Belladonna, and Taylor Made Sales Agency, respectively.
