tony lacy | Horse Racing Free Tips

Demand Among Buyers ‘Unrelenting’ During Keeneland September Yearling Sale’s Fifth Session

The strong pace at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale continued Saturday when the auction resumed following a one-day hiatus and Donato Lanni, agent, acquired a filly by Curlin for $800,000 to lead positive results.

On Saturday, the fifth session of the September Sale and the first of the two-day Book 3, 269 yearlings sold for $45,003,000, for an average of $167,297 and a median of $135,000. To date, Keeneland has sold a total of 889 yearlings through the ring for $245,422,000, for an average of $276,065 and a median of $200,000.

There were 91 yearlings listed as reserve not attained, 25.3% of the 360 lots through the ring.

“The demand for quality stock from domestic end users has continued to drive the market, and it is unrelenting,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “There is a lot of positivity around the grounds with an influx of new buyers arriving daily. The Sales Pavilion has been busy every day, and we look forward to tomorrow when we have another exciting group on offer.”

The session topper, who was consigned by Eaton Sales, agent, is out of Grade 3-placed Divine Elegance, by Uncle Mo. She is from the family of Grade 1-placed stakes winner Standard Deviation and Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Believe You Can.

John Williams paid $775,000 for a colt by Gun Runner consigned by Denali Stud, agent, He is out of the Indian Charlie mare Sapucai, a half-sister to Canadian champion Moonlit Promise, and from the family of Horse of the Year and sire A.P. Indy, Preakness (G1) winner Summer Squall and Grade 1 winner Court Vision.

A colt from the first crop of Grade 1 winner City of Light who is a half-brother to Grade 2 winner Selcourt sold for $760,000 to Donato Lanni, agent for SF Bloodstock/Starlight/Madaket. Consigned by Columbiana Farm, agent, he is out of Azure Spring, by Open Forum, and from the family of Grade 2 winner Fashionably Late.

Two yearlings by Gun Runner sold for $675,000 apiece.

A colt out of the Bernardini mare Secret Jewel sold for $675,000 to West Bloodstock, agent for Repole Stable and St. Elias. Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, consigned the half-brother to Grade 3 winner Twenty Carat from the family of Breeders' Cup winners Shared Account and Sharing along with Grade 2 winner Sapphire N' Silk.

A daughter of Gun Runner out of stakes winner Happy Mesa, by Sky Mesa, sold for $675,000 to David Lanigan, agent for Heider Family Racing. The filly, who is from the family of Grade 1 winner Perfect Alibi, was consigned by Gainesway, agent.

Gainesway led all consignors Saturday by selling 23 horses for $4,620,000.

A filly by Curlin who is the first foal of Grade 3 winner Berned, by Bernardini, sold for $575,000 to Patrice Miller, E.Q.B., agent. Consigned by Denali Stud, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised, she is from the family of Grade 1 winners Harmony Lodge and Magnum Moon.

Two yearlings by Practical Joke sold for $520,000 and $500,000.

Maverick/Siena paid $520,000 for a filly by Practical Joke from the family of multiple Grade 1 winner Zazu and Grade 2 winner Flashback. Consigned by Hunter Valley Farm, agent, she is out of the Lookin At Lucky mare Lucky Rose.

West Bloodstock, agent for Repole Stable and St. Elias, spent $500,000 on a Practical Joke colt consigned by Nursery Place, agent. Out of the Empire Maker mare Queen of the Realm, he is from the family of champion and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Nyquist, Grade 1 winner Sahara Sky, Grade 2 winner Seeking Regina and Grade 3 winner Seeking the Sky.

Also bringing $500,000 was a colt from the first crop of champion Good Magic out of the Scat Daddy mare Charladora, a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Laoban, who sold to Buffolo Bloodstock. Lane's End, agent, consigned the colt, who also is from the family of Grade 1 winner I'm a Chatterbox and Canadian champion Mr. Hustle.

Mike Ryan, agent, was the leading buyer, spending $3.07 million for 11 horses.

The September Sale continues Sunday and runs through Friday, Sept. 24. All sessions begin at 10 a.m. ET.

The entire September Sale is streamed live at Keeneland.com.

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Into Mischief, Street Sense Colts Hit Million-Dollar Mark In Keeneland’s Fourth Session

Two million-dollar colts – a son of Into Mischief from the family of Grade 1 winner Dunbar Road and a son of Street Sense from the family of champion Forever Unbridled – led Thursday's fourth day of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington, Ky. The session marked the final day of a buoyant Week 1 of the auction, which generated gross sales exceeding $200 million and recorded 15 horses sold for $1 million and more.

Keeneland sold 201 yearlings Thursday for $48,801,000, an average of $242,791 and a median of $200,000. Cumulatively, 620 horses sold through the ring brought a total of $200,419,000, for an average of $323,256 and a median of $250,000.

“Excellent,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “The session started strong and finished strong. There were flat spots in the middle when it got a little quiet, but that might be because people were at the barns looking at Book 3 horses. It was a little bit of an anomaly from that standpoint, but the median and average are up. This week has been extremely strong and extremely deep. It has been a powerhouse Week 1.”

“Going forward, I am optimistic,” Lacy added. “There are a lot of people, especially pinhookers, who have not had their hands up yet. When you have buyers getting pushed into the second week that says a lot about the strength of the market. We are encouraged. We think it will incentivize breeders to invest in horses offered at the November Breeding Stock Sale. It is the optimism that the industry needs.”

The September Sale was structured so a critical mass of yearlings would be presented to buyers during four consecutive days that covered Books 1 and 2 before the auction took a one-day hiatus.

“I think a lot of people love the format.” Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach said. “It's speaking for itself in terms of the results. The format has been a part of that, and it has been rewarding. It has kept the buyers in town and kept them engaged. People are really aggressive about trying to fill orders. And there's a wave of buyers that are yet to come in or that are just getting started, so we feel really good about the seven sessions to come.”

Mike Ryan, agent, purchased Thursday's seven-figure Into Mischief colt, who was consigned by Mt. Brilliant Farm. Out of Grade 3-placed stakes winner Secret Someone, by A.P. Indy, he is from the family of the aforementioned Dunbar Road as well as Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Secret Status, Grade 1 winner Fair Maiden and multiple Grade 3 winner Alumni Hall.

Ryan, who said he bought the colt for a partnership, is familiar with the yearling's family. Ryan purchased Dunbar Road's dam, the Bernardini mare Gift List, at Keeneland's 2016 January Horses of All Ages Sale when she was carrying Dunbar Road.

“He reminded me an awful lot of Practical Joke,” Ryan said about the purchase, comparing the colt to the Grade 1-winning son of Into Mischief, “If he runs to his pedigree – top and bottom, sire and female line – he's got terrific stallion potential. He looks like a horse that hopefully would run at Saratoga next summer and strike out from there. I thought he was a special colt. He's got a lot of upside, and hopefully, he'll turn out lucky.”

“We loved his family,” Mt. Brilliant owner Greg Goodman said. “(Second dam) Private Gift is the first really expensive horse I ever bought. I have sold a lot of the family and kept a lot of the daughters. He could not be in better hands, and I am so happy about it.”

The $1 million Street Sense colt sold to BSW/Crow Colts Group, a new partnership for colts to be trained by Brad Cox. Out of the winning Aptitude mare Critikal Reason, he is a half-brother to stakes winner Bajan, and from the family of Forever Unbridled as well as Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Lemons Forever and Grade 1 winner Unbridled Forever.

BSW/Crow Colts Group purchased four yearlings Thursday. In addition to the Street Sense colt the others were Justice, a $450,000 son of Justify consigned by Bridie Harrison, agent for Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds; a $325,000 son of Good Magic consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, and a $250,000 son of Maclean's Music consigned by Paramount Sales, agent.

Altogether in Week 1, BSW/Crow Colts Group has purchased 17 colts for $5.98 million.

“It's a stallion-making group,” Brad Weisbord, speaking for the partnership, said. “We want to have fun along the way, but Brad Cox's goal is to make a stallion to make this whole thing make sense. We want to return some capital to the partners.”

Cox left the sale to saddle a horse at Churchill Downs. Weisbord said the trainer called after watching the Street Sense colt sell.

“He said, 'We didn't get this one.' I said, ''No, buddy, we did.' He was giddy. Everyone's excited. I know Brad was really excited to get this group off the ground. We weren't expecting to spend a million dollars; that wasn't the goal of the venture. But this was the goal horse today and the goal horse of Book 2.”

Farfellow Farms consigned the Street Sense colt.

“He just kept getting better and better,” Kip Knelman of Farfellow said about the consignor's lone offering in Week 1 and the first of seven yearlings Farfellow has consigned to the September Sale.

“Our farm manager and staff at the farm did a marvelous job,” Knelman added. “We handle our horses all the time from the time they are babies. He was a real gentleman the whole time. Our reserve was considerably lower, but we had a pretty good understanding of who was interested. It was all the right people. We felt comfortable our reserve would be met.

“We are very pleased and very blessed. This horse business can be tough so sometimes when you get a little luck like this, it brings it back so we can do it again.”

“Seeing family farms like Mt. Brilliant and Farfellow do so well makes us proud,” Lacy said. “They are very proud of the product they bring to the market. That is what breeders hope for. People can relate to those good stories this week.”

“For Tony and me, having primarily been sellers for the last 20 or so years each, it's exciting to be able to help provide that platform for people like the Knelmans and Mt. Brilliant over the course of Week 1,” Breathnach said. “They've really had a chance to excel and show their product off and get payed for it so well. It's something that we take a lot of pride in. There are a lot of happy people, and that's our main goal.”

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West Bloodstock, agent for Repole Stable and St. Elias, paid $950,000 for a colt by Violence who is a half-brother to Grade 1-placed stakes winner Standard Deviation. Consigned by KatieRich Farms, he is out of the A.P. Indy mare False Impression and from the family of Grade 1 winner Believe You Can, Grade 2 winner Classic Elegance and Grade 3 winner Chorwon.

Jacob West said trainer Todd Pletcher told him the colt reminded him of Violence. Pletcher trained Violence.

“What's selling well right now is that two-turn dirt horse, and that's what we felt he was,” West said. “He's got family behind him and an incredible physical, and now we just hope he runs as good as he looks. The number that we had thrown out prior was about half of that (the purchase price), but as the sale goes on with momentum it's no shocker.

“We've been the underbidder on plenty today. Today feels very strong. I think for both parties that were bidding on that horse there was a little bit of frustration with not getting what we wanted early in the day. I think they kind of just let their hair down and let it go. That happens in public auctions, and KatieRich benefited from that.”

West Bloodstock, agent for Repole Stable and St. Elias, was the session's leading buyer, spending $2,765,000 for seven yearlings. During Week 1 of the September Sale, the group acquired 24 horses for $11,325,000.

Into Mischief also sired a colt sold to Courtlandt Farm for $850,000. Consigned by Indian Creek, agent, the colt is from the family of Grade 1 winner Off the Tracks and Grade 2 winner Concord Point.

“We loved the colt, felt like he had a lot of stretch to him and looks like a colt that will fit our program,” Courtlandt's Ernie Retamoza said. “We are excited to have him and to get him at that number. He looks like he will go two turns and has a lot of quality.”

Indian Creek owner Shack Parrish praised the colt.

“He did everything right at the farm,” Parrish said. “He is very mild-mannered. He just keeps developing. He's beautiful now, but he will be even more beautiful this time next year.”

Retamoza said the Courtlandt team had its eye on several additional yearlings during the session.

“Everyone is on these horses that have quality,” Retamoza said. “You have to step up if you want to own them.”

Mayberry Farm paid $775,000 for a filly by Quality Road and from the family of champion Abel Tasman also consigned by Mt. Brilliant. Out of Grade 3 winner Sky Girl, by Sky Mesa, she also is from the family of Grade 1 winner Bevo, Grade 2 winners Wilburn and Beethoven and Grade 3 winners Moonlight Sonata and Moonlight d'Oro.

“I've seen a lot of good Quality Road fillies, and she reminds me of all the good ones,” David Ingordo, who signed the ticket,” said. “(She has) plenty of leg, a great shoulder, a beautiful outlook on her. Good Quality Roads tend to be big, scopey and have good bodies. She has a ton of presence.”

Selling two of the day's highest-priced yearlings was gratifying to Goodman.

“(My farm crew) are the ones who do everything,” he said. “I just go around and look. We have a great staff. Ninety percent of the guys on the farm have been there 15 to 20 years. Everything we have done over the 26 years is because we have great people.”

Talla Racing went to $750,000 for a colt by Practical Joke whose dam, Gal Factor, by The Factor, is a half-sister to 2021 Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Super Stock. He was consigned by St George Sales, agent.

Leading all consignors Thursday was Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, which sold 25 yearlings for $5,648,000.

Friday marks a “dark day” at the September Sale when no session will be held. The sale will resume Saturday, Sept. 18 at 10 a.m. ET and continue every day through Sept. 24.

The entire September Sale is streamed live at Keeneland.com.

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Keeneland September’s Third Session Sees $1.7 Million City Of Light Colt New Sale Topper

Enthusiastic bidding for Thoroughbred racing prospects continued Wednesday during the third day of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington, Ky., when yearlings by young sires lit up the bid board with colts from the first crops of multiple Grade 1 winner City of Light and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify fetching $1.7 million and $1.55 million, respectively. Young sires were represented by eight of the 10 highest prices of the session.

Woodford Racing, Talla Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds bought the $1.7 million City of Light colt, who is the highest-priced yearling so far in the sale. Talla Racing and West Point teamed to purchase the Justify colt for $1.55 million.

A total of 13 yearlings have sold for $1 million or more during the first three days of the September Sale.

Strong demand fueled healthy results on Wednesday, the first day of the Book 2 catalog. Keeneland recorded gross sales of $60,996,000 for 211 yearlings, for an average of $289,081 and a median of $230,000. Through the first three sessions of the September Sale, a total of 419 yearlings have sold through the ring for $151,618,000, for an average of $361,857 and a median of $290,000.

Wednesday's gross sales were up by 49.3% from the comparable session in 2020, with the average up by 30.9% and median increased by 27.8%. Buybacks declined from 34.4% on day three last year to 25.4% on Wednesday.

“That was amazing – one of the best sale days we have seen in a while,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “Every time you picked your head up, it was another $500,000, $600,000 yearling. There was a lot of optimism and a diverse group of buyers. We had a lot of end users and new money. It was really positive with a great vibe around the grounds. Today should lead to an exciting day tomorrow.

“We found a lot of consistency where the momentum of Book 1 flowed into Book 2 – a confluence of positive things happening all the way through,” Lacy continued. “A lot of people have not been able to buy a horse yet. There is a pent-up demand. They are not going to go home until they fill their orders.

“We call the September Sale the world's yearling sale and it really is. Everybody has been in play.”

“The highlight today was the depth of the market,” Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach said. “Apart from the two million dollar-plus horses, we had 26 others that brought over half a million and they went to a broad base of buyers, particularly domestic demand in today's case. We've seen the new money that we saw in credit applications go to work today. People are excited about what they're buying and they're excited about sticking around. It's a tremendous day.”

Rosilyn Polan's Sunday Morning Farm of Woodford County, Kentucky, consigned the $1.7 million colt, who is out of the Tapit mare Anchorage.

“I have always loved this colt,” said Polan, who bred 2021 Sanford (G3) winner and Hopeful (G1) runner-up Wit and sold him for $575,000 at last year's September Sale. “I have always known he was special, and I knew that people would like him, but usually people like a horse for a certain price. Nobody can ever dream of a million dollars.

“I am so proud of my horse and my crew,” added Polan, who consigned three horses to this year's September Sale. “The mare is my favorite mare – of course anybody would say that now. (This colt) is just a fabulous horse.”

Asked how she would celebrate the achievement, Polan said, “Clean stalls, turn out yearlings, clip ears, feed, go to bed early, get up and ship (my horses) tomorrow (to Keeneland). That's the best part of it, is that it keeps you real.”

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Bill Farish of Woodford Racing said he likes City of Light “a lot. (The yearling colt) is a stunning individual, very strong, good bone colt. A rare type individual. It was a full price, but I knew we were going to have to stretch to get him.”

The colt is the first acquisition for the Woodford, Talla, West Point partnership. On Tuesday, Woodford and West Point purchased the $1.6 million session topper, a Quality Road colt who is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Girvin and classic-placed Midnight Bourbon.

Talla Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds acquired the $1.55 million Justify colt who is from the family of champion Wait a While. A half-sister to stakes winner Feeling Mischief, he is out of the stakes-winning Latent Heat mare True Feelings.

“We have a team together: (trainer) John Sadler, (agent) David Ingordo and West Point Thoroughbreds,” Mike Talla said. “We had had our eye on two or three of them and kept getting outbid. So finally, we had to make a stand somewhere. We really liked this one, so we went in for him. We'll know next year if we made a mistake or not. Let's talk next summer.”

The purchases were especially memorable to Terry Finley, West Point's Founder and President.

“After 30 years, I think about when I first came here, and I thought it was the best thing in the world when we bought a horse for $12,000,” Finley said. “And now, we get a shot to buy horses like this with great partners and great people. It's just incredible. We've worked hard to evolve, and we're just part of a team. We like to think we're good partners, and we bring on good partners. We all do our own thing, and it's a special thing. These horses are very hard to buy, and I just couldn't do it without an immense amount of support and people who are in a position to take chunks.

“You just start dreaming with these kind of horses, and just hope you get lucky.”

Stonehaven Steadings consigned the $1.55 million Justify colt and 10 hips later sold a $750,000 filly from the first crop of Grade 1 winner Mendelssohn out of Grade 2 winner Wasted Tears, by Najran, as agent for Bart Evans and Stonehaven Steadings.

B.B.E. purchased the $750,000 filly, whose 2-year-old half-brother, Corniche, won his Sept. 4 debut at Del Mar by 4¼ lengths. Her 4-year-old half-sister, Look Me Over, scored a 3½-length win in an allowance race at Ellis Park on July 25.

“Probably the most exciting thing I have experienced in this business,” Stonehaven Steadings Director of Bloodstock and Client Development Aidan O'Meara said about the sales. “We were high on them all along. There was a huge update for the filly. The (Justify) colt has been one of our top two colts all along, but he really blossomed in the last two months. He was a class act all the way through. He improved every day and you could feel the momentum building with the serious players getting involved.”

“(Right now) I am flabbergasted and shocked and overwhelmed about the whole thing. We certainly weren't expecting those kinds of results. We had aggressive reserves but they blew past them by 200 percent. You dream of a day like this with two quality horses back to back.”

A colt by Gun Runner from the family of champion Untapable sold for $975,000 to West Bloodstock, agent for Repole Stable and St. Elias. Consigned by Gainesway, agent, the colt is out of Untapable's full sister Time to Tap, by Tapit. The family also includes Grade 1 winner and sire Paddy O'Prado, Grade 2 winner Fun House and Grade 3 winner Majestic Eagle.

“He's by Gun Runner – probably can't name a hotter stallion or a stallion that's gotten off to a hotter start than him,” Jacob West said. “And (this colt) looks a lot like his dad. The whole team loved him.

“He was kind of the 'talking horse.' We had a pretty good idea that he was going to cost a lot of money, but that was right about what we thought he would bring. We knew we were going to have to fight off some pretty serious competition, and I'm just glad we got him.”

West said the colt would go to trainer Todd Pletcher.

Gainesway was the session's leading consignor, selling 21 horses for $7.9 million. They included three of the day's 10 highest-priced yearlings.

Gainesway, agent, sold a $900,000 filly from the first crop of Mendelssohn whose dam, the Discreet Cat mare Acrobatique is a half-sister to champion Covfefe and Japanese Group 2 winner Albiano. She sold to Solis/Litt, agent.

Another notable sale for Gainesway occurred when Maverick Racing paid $800,000 for a colt by Quality Road who is the first foal of Grade 1-placed stakes winner Cherry Lodge, by Bernardini. The colt's family includes Canadian champion Curlin's Voyage, Grade 1 winner Stormello, Grade 2 winner My Best Brother and Grade 3 winner Gala Award.

Courtlandt Farm purchased a colt by Gun Runner out of Grade 2 winner Broadway's Alibi, by Vindication for $875,000. He was consigned by Lane's End, agent.

Agent Donato Lanni signed the tickets for two high-priced horses offered consecutively in the ring.

For SF Bloodstock/Starlight/Madaket, he paid $850,000 for a colt by Curlin whose 2-year-old half-brother, My Prankster, won his career debut by 10 lengths at Saratoga on Aug. 21. Consigned by Summerfield, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised, the colt is out of Grade 2 winner My Wandy's Girl, by Flower Alley.

“Very well-bred horse,” Tom Ryan of SF Bloodstock said. “By Curlin, a stallion we really admire, out of a mare that looks like she has a chance to be a very good mare at this point. My Prankster looks like a good colt.

“We definitely noticed the 2-year-old winning as well as he did. We admired him at last year's yearling sale. This colt looks like a very nice two-turn colt.”

For Charles and Susan Chu's Baoma Corp., Lanni paid $825,000 for the yearling that preceded the Curlin colt, a filly by Quality Road who is the first foal of stakes winner My Miss Chiff, by Into Mischief. She was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for Town & Country Horse Farms.

“Beautiful,” Lanni said. “She was just a real quiet filly, really well-made, like a good runner.”

Lanni, agent for SF Bloodstock/Starlight/Madaket also paid $775,000 for a colt from the first crop of champion Good Magic consigned by Woods Edge Farm, agent; $675,000 for a son of Uncle Mo consigned by Gainesway, agent, and $440,000 for a Twirling Candy colt consigned by Clearsky Farms, agent.

By spending $2.74 million for the four yearlings, Lanni, agent for SF Bloodstock/Starlight/Madaket, was the session's leading buyer.

The fourth session of the September Sale, which marks the conclusion of the two-day Book 2, begins tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET. TVG2 will have live coverage of the session from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The entire sale is streamed live at Keeneland.com.

The September Sale runs through Sept. 24.

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Half-Brother To Classic-Placed Midnight Bourbon Headlines Day 2 At Keeneland September Yearling Sale

Keeneland concluded the premier Book 1 portion of its September Yearling Sale on Tuesday with vibrant trade among major domestic and foreign buyers that produced strong results and the sale of eight seven-figure yearlings, led by the $1.6 million paid by Woodford Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds for a Quality Road colt who is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Girvin and 2021 Preakness and G1 Runhappy Travers runner-up Midnight Bourbon.

Keeneland sold 112 yearlings for $52,300,000, for an average of $466,964 and a median of $400,000. Cumulatively, 208 horses sold through the ring have grossed $90,622,000, for an average of $435,683 and a median of $350,000. A total of 11 yearlings have sold for $1 million or more.

“It was a great couple of days. We're really excited about the results, about the feeling and the excitement on the grounds,” Keeneland president and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “You've probably heard me say that (retiring Keeneland Director of Sales Operations) Geoffrey Russell likes to talk about the 'hustle and bustle,' which felt really present. It was a very diverse buying bench. Out of the 10 highest prices today, there were nine distinct buyers, which is encouraging to see along with the domestic and international participation.”

“The session was electric, full of optimism,” Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy said. “The sellers were having as much fun as the buyers, which across the board is what we're trying to encourage. That's an incredible mark when we get to that.

“The median was $350,000 cumulative over the last couple of days, $400,000 for the session alone. I don't think we've ever hit $400,000 (for a session). Cumulatively it's just short of 2019, which was a record year. As we go forward, I think it's really encouraging. It sets a really good tone for Book 2. When you see results today where Woods Edge Farm sold a homebred for over a million dollars, that floats a lot of boats.”

The $1.6 million colt, the highest-priced yearling to date in the sale, is out of the Malibu Moon mare Catch the Moon and was consigned by Eaton Sales, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised. He also is a half-brother to Grade 3 winners Cocked and Loaded and Pirate's Punch. Half-brother Midnight Bourbon won a Grade 3 race earlier this year.

“The plan is to gather a partnership together with Woodford Racing, West Point and a few others and (Stonestreet owner) Barbara Banke,” Woodford founder Bill Farish said. “He will go to (trainer) Shug McGaughey.

“The market is strong,” Farish added. “For horses like this, it's been very, very hard to buy as you can tell by that price. It's competitive. That's how we hoped it would be.”

“He is fabulous looking and, of course, the mare has had some great foals by some lesser stallions,” Banke said. “I am hoping this one takes it all the way. I think I will be back in for (a piece) of him. I am excited about that. He was on my list of favorites. We need sire power; we need another sire.”

Two colts consigned by Gainesway, agent, sold for $1.3 million each.

Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm paid the amount for a son of Tapit from the family of champion Jaywalk and Grade 2 winner Mission Impazible. He is out of stakes winner Danzatrice, by Dunkirk.

“I love Tapit, as everyone knows – we've been buying a bunch of them,” Pope said. “This one was raised at Gainesway. I have a lot of faith in how they raise their horses and their horsemanship on the farm. I felt like the horse had a good beginning, a good foundation built into him.”

Two hips later, Gainesway, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised, consigned a son of Curlin out of Dashing Debby who sold to M.V. Magnier for $1.3 million. The colt is a half-brother to Grade 1-placed stakes winner Dawn the Destroyer and stakes winner Bronze Star.

“(Gainesway general manager) Brian Graves – when we went down to see him first – really, really liked the horse,” Magnier said. “All our guys liked him as well. Barbara Banke, she's bred some incredible horses over the last couple years. Curlin's doing very well.”

Magnier said the colt would stay in the U.S.

Gainesway was the leading consignor Tuesday, selling 15 horses for $9,430,000. Consigning three of the session's five highest-priced horses, Gainesway also sold a $1.2 million War Front filly purchased by Seahorse Stables. She is a half-sister to Canadian champion Lukes Alley.

“All class, everything she is supposed to be and maybe a little better,” said Eddie Woods, who signed the ticket. “Has a little more leg and scope than most of your War Fronts. She vetted perfectly; she may go to Ireland. The client couldn't travel. I'm just doing a job that normally they would do on their own.”

Out of the stakes-winning A.P. Indy mare Vaulcluse, the filly also is a half-sister to Grade 3-placed stakes winner Arrifana.

“She's just an absolutely lovely filly – best filly we had on the farm,” Gainesway's Brian Graves said. “We wish them a lot of luck.”

Spendthrift Farm went to $1.25 million to acquire a filly by Into Mischief out of Grade 1 winner Embellish the Lace, by Super Saver. She was consigned by Bluewater Sales, agent, and from the family of Grade 1 winners Afleet Express and Materiality and Grade 2 winners Eye of the Tiger and My Miss Sophia.

“She's just a beautiful filly, obviously by the right sire out of a Grade 1 winner, great depth of family,” Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey said. “She sort of ticked all the boxes, as classy a filly as we thought there was in the sale. We're really excited to have her. Sometimes you see that pedigree and you're disappointed in the physical, but there's nothing disappointing in any way about this filly. You just hope that you'll be able to afford her.”

Mayberry Farm spent $1.15 million for a colt by Quality Road who is from the family of Grade 1 winner Charlatan. Dixiana Farms consigned the colt, who is out of the English Channel mare Brielle's Appeal. Brielle's Appeal is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Authenticity, dam of Charlatan and stakes winner Hanalei Moon.

“He's been great. He's been solid,” Dixiana owner Bill Shively said. “I like him a lot and the mare is named after my daughter Brielle. Brielle's Appeal was a nice filly for us, a big strong filly, and this one came out right. What a way to start right?

“I've been doing this for 20 years and this is the first time we've broke a million, so we're very happy with that. I expected him to be the best we had, but I didn't expect him to get to a million.”

David Ingordo, who signed the ticket for the colt, began working with Dixiana when he was 21.

“I bought (this colt's) second dam (Court of Appeal) for Dixiana in 2006 when she was carrying (eventual Grade 2 winner) Authenticity,” Ingordo said. “I have followed the family. Dixiana is one of the better breeders, and I don't think they get the recognition that they should. I have probably seen this horse once a month since January. We have bought good horses from them. We knew he was a nice horse and the way the market it is, that is what it takes to buy one.”

Ingordo said the colt would go to trainer John Shirreffs in California.

West Bloodstock, agent for Repole Stable and St. Elias, purchased a colt from the first crop of Grade 1 winner City of Light for $1.05 million. Consigned by Woods Edge Farm, agent, he is a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Biddy Duke and from the family of champion Essential Quality. The colt's dam is Ghostslayer, by Ghostzapper.

The City of Light colt was among the nine yearlings sold to West Bloodstock, agent for Repole Stable and St. Elias, for $5,185,000 to lead all buyers during the session.

A colt by War Front who is a full brother to European champion Air Force Blue sold for $1 million to Lynnhaven Racing. Consigned by Stone Farm, the colt is out of the Maria's Mon mare Chatham.

“You come up here with a nice horse, but you've got to have the buyer there,” Stone Farm's director of sales and racing Lynn Hancock said. “People liked him on the sales grounds. He's a beautiful physical – we think he's one of the nicest that the mare has thrown. We're heavily invested in the family and we love the family. The mare has been great to us. We're really happy that some nice people ended up with him. Can't be upset with a sale like that.”

Four horses that did not meet their reserve during Monday's session went through the RNA Reoffer at the close of the second session, and one of those horses sold.

“The RNA Reoffer helped solidify confidence if someone did not get a horse sold (on Day 1),” Lacy said. “They had options. We had many entries but some got sold privately, so at the end of Monday, we had seven entries. Three of those sold privately earlier on Tuesday. We think the RNA Reoffer program worked.”

The third session of the September Sale, which marks the first day of the two-day Book 2, begins tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET. TVG2 will have live coverage of the session from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The entire sale is streamed live at Keeneland.com.

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