Keeneland September yearling sale. Sept. 8-20.
2024 renewal: The September sale offers the bulk of the North American crop, and draws a global marketplace. Last year, the auction concluded its marathon run with 2,735 yearlings sold through the ring for gross receipts of $411,749,500. The average price was $150,548, breaking a record established the prior year, while the median was a record-tying $70,000.
Last year’s topper: An unnamed $5 million Curlin colt out of Grade 1 winner Cavorting. The full brother to Grade 1 winner Clairiere was purchased by Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm.
Fasig-Tipton California fall yearling sale. Sept. 23.
2024 renewal: According to sale company statistics, 163 yearlings sold for a gross of $4,781,400 at the state’s leading auction, and the average was $29,334. While both of those figures declined, and fewer horses were sold overall, as California grapples with the contraction of its circuit and other issues, the median, $15,000, and the buyback rate were both equal to 2023.
Last year’s topper: A California-bred Stay Thirsty colt was purchased for $250,000 by John Moroney. He was named Fionello, and now races for a partnership. He won his debut in May at Santa Anita.
Fasig-Tipton Midlantic fall yearling sale. Sept. 29-30.
2024 renewal: Last year’s sale dropped from its usual two sessions to one, and obviously had declines in gross sales. Fasig-Tipton reported that 180 yearlings old for gross receipts of $4,287,700. Other figures were solid, with the average price dropping less than $1,000, and the median even with 2023.
Last year’s topper: A Maryland-bred City of Light filly, now named Project Maximus, was purchased for $165,000 by LC Racing. She is unraced.
Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s October yearling sale. Oct. 7-8.
2024 renewal: OBS reported that 297 horses sold last year – 87 fewer than in 2023 – for gross receipts of $5,724,600, an understandable drop from the 2023 gross. The average dropped only $701 from 2023, to $19,275, while the median was $10,000, compared to $13,000.
Last year’s topper: A Complexity filly was purchased for $150,000 by Top Line Sales, which then pinhooked her for $385,000 to Steven Rocco and Adelphi Racing at this year’s OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training. Named Intricity, the filly is breezing sporadically in Saratoga.
Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale. Oct. 20-23.
2024 renewal: The final stop on the North American calendar has expanded to four sessions in recent years to meet market demand, fueled by this sale’s premium results on the racetrack, with graduates including reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna and champions Goodnight Olive and Soul of an Angel. Last year, four yearlings sold for a half-million or more as the sale finished with a record gross of $58,940,500, a record average of $52,392, and a median of $20,000, fourth-highest in sale history. The buyback rate was also the lowest at the sale in more than a decade.
Last year’s topper: Alistair Roden, as agent for Mark Breen, purchased a $550,000 Curlin colt. Now named Sassmaster, he is breezing in Saratoga.