Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Keeneland sale starts strong
The Keeneland January horses of all ages sale finished its elite Book 1 portion with momentum, spiked by a pair of seven-figure horses to help the auction reach its halfway point with across-the-board gains.
A total of 415 horses sold over the two sessions of Book 1 on Monday and Tuesday for revenues of $28,302,000, marking a 31 percent increase from last year’s Book 1 gross of $21,573,000. The gross after two sessions was already approaching the final total of $28,785,500 from last year’s five-day auction. With two Book 2 sessions remaining, on Wednesday and Thursday, the sale had already surpassed the final revenues from the fivesession Keeneland January sales of 2010 ($23.8 million) and 2011 ($25.2 million).
The average sale price for Book 1 rose 21 percent to $68,198 from $56,181, while the median grew 23 percent to $37,000 from $30,000. The buyback rate for the auction’s first book finished at 32 percent compared with 34 percent last year.
This year marks the first edition of the Keeneland January sale to produce multiple seven-figure transactions since 2013, when three horses reached that point.
“I think it shows a continuation of what started in September, the great enthusiasm in the market, great desire to own horses at the moment,” said Geoffrey Russell, Keeneland’s director of sales operations. “Selling two milliondollar horses in January shows the strength of the market at the moment.”
The highest final bid of Book 1 came on its final horse through the ring, when bloodstock agent Steven Young bought Grade 2 winner Mrs McDougal for $1.6 million on behalf of an undisclosed client.
The 6-year-old broodmare prospect by Medaglia d’Oro won 5 of 15 starts during her ontrack career, highlighted by wins in the Grade 2 Lake George Stakes at Saratoga in 2015 and the Grade 3 Noble Damsel Stakes at Belmont and the listed Plenty of Grace Stakes at Aqueduct in 2016. Her three other stakes placings were highlighted by a third-place effort in the Grade 1 Just a Game Stakes at Belmont in 2016.
Mrs McDougal, who was originally trained by Chad Brown for Mr. and Mrs. William Warren, was privately sold following her stakes successes, and raced last year for 2 TY LLC and trainer Richard Mandella. Returning from a 10-month layoff, she placed once in four stakes starts.
“She is a terrific filly who earlier in her career was arguably the best 3-year-old filly in America when she won at Saratoga,” Young said. “She trained tremendous on the dirt for Mandella after he got her, and I think she’s got unlimited potential as a broodmare.”
Bred in Kentucky by Aaron and Marie Jones, Mrs McDougal is the lone winner from four starters out of the Distorted Humor mare Distorted Passion, a Grade 2-placed multiple stakes winner. Distorted Passion, out of stakes winner Arianna’s Passion, is a full sister to Grade 2 winner Warbling.
Eaton Sales consigned Mrs McDougal, who was offered as a supplemental entry to the catalog, as agent. Late additions are a rarity at Keeneland’s sales, but Russell said the mare’s résumé made her a welcome addition, and the hammer price justified the decision.
“It’s a feel thing,” he said. “We look for graded stakes horses. It’s kind of a thing in the auction market at the moment – wild cards, supplemental entries, whatever you want to call them. This time of year, with our November sale ending, and then the January sale, you can get lucky and get a mare like that. When Reiley [McDonald of Eaton Sales] called and asked if we could get her in, I was happy to accommodate.”
The top newly turned yearling of Book 1 also sold on Tuesday, when M.V. Magnier of the Coolmore partnership bid by proxy on an American Pharoah colt, going to $1 million.
He was the third-most expensive yearling colt, and the sixthhighest-priced yearling overall, in Keeneland January history. He became the second sevenfigure foal from the Triple Crown winner’s first crop, joining a weanling filly sold to Narvick International for a record-tying $1 million at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall selected mixed sale.
The colt is out of the stakeswinning Holy Bull mare Mekko Hokte, whose five winners from six runners include Irish Group 1 winner Caravaggio and Grade 2 winner My Jen.
“American Pharoah doesn’t need any explaining, and Aidan O’Brien always believed Caravaggio to be the best sprinter he ever trained, so when our team considered this colt the best individual in the sale, it was an easy decision for us to make,” Magnier, who is attending the Magic Millions sales in Australia this week, said in a statement distributed to the press.
Magnier added that a decision on where to train and campaign the new purchase would be made at a later time.
The seven-figure colt was bred in Kentucky by the Windmill Manor Farm of Richard Imbert and the Petaluma Bloodstock of Charlie O’Connor, Coolmore America’s director of sales and Imbert’s son-in-law. Coolmore also raced and stands Caravaggio, and the global operation stands American Pharoah at its Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky.
Paramount Sales consigned the colt, as agent for the breeders.
The leading covering sire of Book 1 by gross was Union Rags, who had three pregnant mares sell for a combined $730,000. Union Rags also was the top covering sire by average among those with three or more mares sold, at $243,333.
Taylor Made Sales Agency was the first book’s leading consignor by gross, with 31 horses sold for $2,786,500. Young was the leading buyer of the first two sessions, with two purchases totaling $2,085,000.