THE buoyancy experienced during the first week of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, which featured Books 1 and 2, carried on when the sale resumed last Saturday following a one-day break. The session was topped by the sale of a colt by Pioneerof the Nile for $525,000 to Steven Young. Keeneland sold 253 yearlings for $31,392,500 on Saturday, for an average of $124,081 and a median of $100,000.

“The transition into the next group of buyers has gone very well,” Keeneland director of sales operations Geoffrey Russell said. “We still have some buyers staying over from the first week, and now we are seeing some new fresh faces participating. If a good, special horse entered the ring, there was plenty of money for it.”

Saturday’s top lot, consigned by Gainesway, is the first foal out of the Brazilian-bred Bella Fafa, by Elusive Quality, and from a family of group winners in that country. Young said; “I thought he was a Book 1 horse. He cost about what we thought he would.”

The session’s highest-priced filly was a daughter of Trappe Shot sold to Winchell Thoroughbreds for $480,000. Consigned by Elm Tree Farm, she is a half-sister to stakes winner Mr Palmer and from the family of Grade 1 winners Behrens and Commentator. “She was way more expensive than I thought she would be,” Winchell said. “We were looking from a perspective of eventually breeding, so it was more than just looking at a racehorse.”

Elm Tree Farm also consigned a colt by First Samurai out of stakes winner Coastal Sunrise who was purchased by Jerry and Ann Moss for $475,000. He is from the family of Grade 2 winner Ruler’s Court. International Equities Holding paid $460,000 for a colt by Stormy Atlantic consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales. He is the first foal out of La Quintessa, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Mi Sueno.

More Than Ready is the sire of the $450,000 filly sold to Courtlandt Farm and will be trained by Mark Henning. She is out of the winning Quality Road mare Quality Rose and from the family of Grade 1 winners Dancing Spree, Furlough and Fantastic Find.

Sunday

Steven Young struck again on Sunday when the top of the market was even stronger than the previous day. The session featured the sale of a half-brother to recent Grade 2 Saratoga Special winner Copper Bullet for $625,000 to Young. Consigned by James M. Herbener Jr. the colt is from the first crop of Verrazano and from the family of Loup Sauvage.

“Book 3 (Saturday/Sunday) went very well,” Geoffrey Russell said. “It was nice to have a big-priced horse today. Overall, the comments from both consignors and buyers were that the good horses sold very well and the buyers complained that they were hard to buy. So that’s a positive note.”

Oussama Aboughgazale’s International Equities Holding was again to the fore and paid $500,000 for a colt from the first crop of champion Will Take Charge. Consigned by Anderson Farms, the colt’s grandam is Grade 1 winner I Believe in You.

Two colts sold for $450,000 each. A son of Curlin brought that final bid from bloodstock agent Mike Ryan and is from the family of Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can. English bloodstock agent Oliver St. Lawrence went to $450,000 for a son of Distorted Humor from Mr. Brilliant Farm. The colt is from the family of another Kentucky Oaks winner in Secret Status. Mike Ryan bought seven yearlings on Sunday for $1,990,000 to be the session’s leading buyer.

Monday

Total sales of $273,298,000 after seven sessions of the 12-day September Yearling Sale surpassed the total recorded during last year’s entire 13-day auction. Monday marked the first of the two-day Book 4.

Mike Ryan paid the day’s top price of $350,000 for a colt from the first crop of Cairo Prince. The colt is out of the winning Horse Chestnut mare Precious Princess and is a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Zipessa.

Glen Hill Farm’s Craig Bernick spent $285,000 on a filly by Orb and out of the winning Langfuhr mare Maxinkuckee Miss, from the family of Grade 3 winner Fly’n J. Bryan.

Tuesday

Two yearlings each sold for $325,000 to conclude Book 4 of the sale. “European pinhookers in particular were very active today; it was a good mix of domestic and foreign participation,” Geoffrey Russell said afterwards.

A daughter of Warrior’s Reward sold for $325,000 to Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Plantation. Out of the winning Unbridled mare Unbridled Appeal, the filly is a half-sister to stakes-placed Southern Parkway, Belleofthebridle and Unbridled Reward. Robert B. Hess Jr. paid the same amount for a Stay Thirsty colt out of the winning Candy Ride mare Candy Trophy and from the family of Grade 1 winner and sire Twirling Candy.

Wednesday

Martin Anthony paid $175,000 for a filly from the first crop of Atreides to be the most expensive purchase during the ninth session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The filly is a half-sister to graded stakes-placed winners Moe Candy and Holy Candy, and stakes-placed Silver Assault.

Thursday

Early in the session gross sales passed $300 million for the first time since 2008. Wave’s Bloodstock purchased the day’s leader when it paid $180,000 for a colt by Violence out of the winning City Zip mare All About Allison. The day’s second-highest price was $160,000 for a colt from the first crop of Fed Biz and the family of Canadian champion Larkwhistle.

Final report and statistics will be published next week. The sale concludes on September 23rd