Home » Keeneland suspends April two-year-olds in training sale

Keeneland suspends April two-year-olds in training sale

Gross receipts were down $3 million last year

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 6, 2015) — Keeneland officials today announced that the April Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale will be put on hiatus for 2015.

KeenelandimagesFirst held in 1993, the April Sale has featured a small, select catalog of top-quality 2-year-olds sold during a single-session auction which is conducted on a dark day early in the Spring Meet. It is one of four annual sales held by Keeneland, the world’s largest Thoroughbred auction house. The 2015 April Sale had been scheduled for April 6.

“The ‘boutique sale’ model has become increasingly difficult to construct,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “The April Sale lacks a critical mass of horses, a key factor which makes our September Yearling, November Breeding Stock and January Horses of All Ages sales so successful. We will suspend the April Sale this year and continue to review its viability in years to come.”

A total of 125 two-year-olds were cataloged for last year’s April Sale, with 38 selling for gross receipts of $8,769,000 compared to $11,640,000 for 59 in 2013. The 2013 average of $230,763 was 17 percent higher than $197,288 the previous year, while the median of $200,000 increased 33 percent from $150,000.