Home » Keeneland expects buyers from around world for elite September Yearling Sale beginning Monday

Keeneland expects buyers from around world for elite September Yearling Sale beginning Monday

LEXINGTON, KY (Sept. 5, 2014) – Keeneland’s 2014 September Yearling Sale, the world’s largest and most significant Thoroughbred auction, starts at noon Monday, Sept. 8, with 4,181 yearlings cataloged. The sale has 13 sessions through Sunday, Sept. 21, and will be streamed live on Keeneland.com.

The colt War Front sold for $2.5 million during the 2013 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the highest-priced purchase of the sale to date.
The colt War Front sold for $2.5 million during the 2013 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the highest-priced purchase of the sale to date.

This September, Keeneland has further expanded its on-site client amenities and created special events such as Keeneland Sale Ale and the Jefferson Street Soiree to enhance the sale experience for consignors and buyers as well as the local community.

Among the services provided at Keeneland:

• For the convenience of consignors and buyers, beginning Sept. 5 and continuing through the sale, two food trucks will be parked in the main stable area and will be open from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Food trucks will rotate throughout the sale.

• Keeneland’s new Concierge Service will be available to assist sales clients. The team will be based at the information desk inside the main entrance to the Sales Pavilion with representatives available throughout the Sales Pavilion. Hospitality Team members also will drive marked golf carts around the sales grounds to assist clients with moving throughout the barns and to and from the Sales Pavilion.

• Enhanced technology service in the stable area and further streamlined online client tools.

Keeneland has introduced several creative features designed to raise awareness of the September Sale throughout Central Kentucky and to connect its out-of-town sales clients to Lexington’s unique culinary scene.

Keeneland and Country Boy Brewing collaborated to produce the new Keeneland Sale Ale, a small-batch beer produced by the local brewery to promote and celebrate the September Sale in the community. The beer will be available on tap at the Keeneland Sales Pavilion and in 40 local restaurants beginning Friday, Sept. 5.

On Sept. 10, Keeneland and VisitLEX’s Beyond Grits will present the Jefferson Street Soiree to showcase the September Sale and one of downtown Lexington’s culinary and cocktail hot spots. Guests will enjoy food and beverage tastings and live music at the event from 6-10 p.m. ET.

Format and success of the sale

The yearlings in the catalog – 2,215 colts, 1,962 fillies and four geldings – represent 246 of the world’s elite stallions and freshman sires. The auction begins with the premier Book 1 catalog, which will span the entire opening week with a total of 762 yearlings cataloged alphabetically by dam over the four-day period.

The format of the sale is:

Week 1 (Book 1) – Monday-Thursday, Sept, 8-11; sessions begin at noon ET.

Friday, Sept. 12 – The traditional “dark day;” no sale will be conducted.

Weekend (Book 2) – Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 13-14; sessions begin at 10 a.m.

Week 2 (Books 3-6) – Monday–Sunday, Sept. 15-21; sessions begin at 10 a.m.

To date, September Sale graduates have won 123 graded stakes this year. Among the Grade 1 stakes winners are Belle Gallantey (Delaware Handicap), Condo Commando (Spinaway), Danza (Arkansas Derby), Fashion Plate (Las Virgenes and Santa Anita Oaks), Game On Dude(Santa Anita Handicap), Hardest Core (Arlington Million), Itsmyluckyday (Woodward), Judy the Beauty (Madison), Majestic Harbor (Gold Cup at Santa Anita), Palace Malice (Metropolitan), Stopchargingmaria (TVG Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama), Sunset Glow (Del Mar Debutante), Sweet Reason (TVG Acorn Stakes), The Big Beast (Ketel One King’s Bishop), Tom’s Tribute (Eddie Read), V. E. Day(Travers) and Wicked Strong (Twinspires.com Wood Memorial).

Keeneland enhances technology tools

Keeneland continues to expand its technology service and improve its online sales tools for the convenience of its clients.

Keeneland has hardwired the tack room of each barn in the main stable area to provide consistent Internet access for consignors and buyers. Meanwhile, Keeneland.com hosts user-friendly tools designed to streamline the sales process for clients.

The redesigned Keeneland Portfolio maximizes valuable information about horses cataloged and sold at Keeneland sales. This tool provides a number of new and enhanced features which allow clients to create a sortable “short list” of horses; enter evaluation notes including a grade and free-form comments for each horse; and establish text or email alerts on its status, i.e., pedigree updates, when the horse is in the ring, its hammer price and if it has been withdrawn. Clients may also research a horse’s Keeneland sales history back to the 1999 July Selected Yearling Sale.

The Portfolio enables clients to manage and update their personal account information, and, for the first time, use this tool to apply for credit, check their credit balances, assign authorized agents for their account and monitor their sales transactions throughout the auction. Users also have the freedom to update their contact information.

For consignors, Keeneland offers the online Consignor Portfolio for managing consignment information, including the ability to check Repository activity, print account summaries and statements on demand, and receive status alerts about their horses.

Keeneland.com also features searchable catalogs and results for sales dating back to 1999 as well as sortable lists of stakes-winning Keeneland sales graduates available by year from 2010 to present.