Keeneland photo
By Sarah Mace
In the first of two weekend sessions comprising Book 2 of the six-book Keeneland September yearling sale, a pair of New York-breds with blue-blooded pedigrees brought robust prices. Meanwhile, the key indicators for Empire State-breds remain impressive, with the New York-bred contingent still outperforming the general population of the sale in median price and seeing a slight reduction in the buyback percentage.
Cumulatively though Keeneland’s second book, 17 out of 27 New York-breds have sold for a median price of $255,000, fully 27.5 percent over the sale median of $200,000. The New York-bred average price is $228,941, compared to the overall sale average of $265,670. The New York-bred buyback percentage, which was 42.9 through the conclusion of Book 1, moderated to 37.0 percent through the first two books. Overall the Keeneland September sale numbers are strong, with the average up 22.88 percent and median up 33.3 percent over the comparable point in the sale last year.
The New York-bred star of Book 2 was Hip 1208, a colt purchased by Ben McElroy / SAC Racing on Saturday for $435,000, which made him the second top-selling New York-bred colt so far at the auction, and third-top New York-bred seller.
The colt’s general profile is not unlike Hip 465, a colt who brought $285,000 on Tuesday. Both issue from the first crop of Bayern; both were bred by SF Bloodstock, LLC; both sold as weanlings to Rocco Bloodstock for high price tags at last year’s Keeneland November breeding stock sale, and both have high profile names in their immediate family.
Specifically, Hip 1208, who was foaled on March 12, 2017, is the first foal out of Sweet Destiny, an unplaced Kentucky-bred mare by Curlin who is a half-sister to Grade 1 Donn winner and young sire Graydar, as well as graded stakes performers Union Course and Star of David. The colt’s third dam Cielo Otono is a stakes winner. Appearing under the fourth dam are a bevy of stakes winners, including $2.7 million-earner and Grade 1 winner Ron the Greek. Rocco Bloodstock went to $220,000 to acquire the colt as a weanling. Sweet Destiny has a weanling filly by Flatter and has been bred to Bodemeister.
West Bloodstock/Repole Stables took home the other pricey New York-bred of Keeneland’s Book 2, going to $340,000 for Hip 1009, a bay filly from the second crop of Declaration of War.
Consigned by Craig & Holly Bandoroff on behalf of breeder Gallagher’s Stud, the filly was foaled on March 1, 2017 and is out of Hostess, a multiple graded stakes winner by Chester House and $383,918-earner who set a course record for 1 3/8 miles over the Saratoga inner turf in the Grade 3 Glens Falls Handicap.
Purchased by Marlene Brody for $650,000 at the 2008 Keeneland November sale, Hostess has already produced four winners from four foals to start and is a half-sister to Pretty ‘n Smart, dam of four stakes winners topped by Grade 1 winner and $1.7 million-earner Cupid and graded winner Heart Ashley. Without issue in 2018, Hostess was bred to Freud this year.
The Keeneland September Sale continues through Sunday, Sept. 23, with the remaining seven sessions beginning at 10 a.m. and the entire sale is streamed live at Keeneland.com.
New York-breds catalogued for the Keeneland sale (listed by hip number and dam with links to catalogue pages), may be found here.
