LEXINGTON, Ky. — Keeneland kicked off its 2022 September Yearling Sale with an opening session that was electric from start to finish, sparking vibrant trade among a full house of the world’s top buyers that generated double-digit increases in gross, average and median prices. Leading the nine yearlings sold for $1 million or more was a colt by Quality Road for $2.5 million, the highest amount paid for a Thoroughbred yearling in North America and the second-highest price recorded anywhere in the world this year.
Monday marked the first of two sessions of the prestigious Book 1 catalog of the September Sale, and Keeneland sold 114 yearlings for a total of $57,095,000, for an average of $500,833 and a median of $450,000. Total sales were up 48.99 percent from last year’s first session gross of $38,322,000. The average increased 25.46 percent from $399,188 in 2021, and the median rose 38.46 percent from $325,000.
In addition to the day’s healthy results, additional stats spoke to the strength of the session:
- Nine horses brought at least $1 million for the most seven-figure yearlings sold on Day 1 since 2007.
- The top 15 highest-priced horses were bought by 11 different buyers.
- Of the 114 horses sold, 48 brought $500,000 or more.
- The first horse through the ring today, a son of Medaglia d’Oro consigned by Lane’s End, agent, sold for $850,000 to Talla Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds. The price is the highest for the horse assigned Hip 1 of the September Sale since at least 1999.
The session-topping Quality Road colt sold to Talla Racing, Woodford Racing and West Point LEB, agent, for the highest price recorded at the September Sale since 2019. Stonehaven Steadings consigned the colt, who is a half-brother to stakes winner Feeling Mischief and from the family of champion Wait a While. His dam is Grade 3-placed winner True Feelings, by Latent Heat.
Two yearlings sold for $1.2 million each.
A colt by Curlin, who is a half-brother to undefeated 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, was purchased for the amount by Hideyuki Mori of Japan.
Glennwood Farm, the agent, consigned the colt, who is out of the Grade 3-placed winning Ghostzapper mare Stage Magic. He also is a half-brother to Grade 3 winner The Lieutenant.
“He was a lovely colt,” Glennwood owner John Gunther said. “He was a late foal and has a lot of growing to do. There would have been more interest if he were a little more developed. Two months from now, he will be a fantastic-looking colt. He’s a great mover with a tremendous attitude. We raised him at the farm and said, ‘This is a racehorse.’ ”
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