LEXINGTON, Ky. – Normandy Coast won a stakes race on opening day of the Keeneland spring meet, and Tough Critic won a maiden race on the penultimate day of the meet. That recent form made them hot commodities as Keeneland concluded its month of activity with the April horses of racing age sale. The colts sold for $355,000 and $350,000, respectively, to lead the proceedings Friday night at the sale pavilion on the grounds.
Keeneland reported 44 horses sold in the single-session sale, which took place following the final day of the spring meet, for gross receipts of $3,884,000. In last year’s single-session sale, 54 horses sold for $3,940,000. Both sets of figures represent only horses sold through the ring, before any private sales are later factored in.
The average and median figures, as well as the buyback rate, all posted significant improvement. The average price was $88,273, up 21 percent from $72,963 in 2024. The median spiked 69 percent, to $65,000 from $38,500. The buyback rate was an outstanding 12 percent, compared to 30 percent.
Normandy Coast won the off-the-turf Palisades Stakes for 3-year-olds on the first day of the Keeneland meet, April 6, for trainer Eddie Kenneally, who also co-owned him through Red Gate Racing. Off that effort, Kenneally consigned the Omaha Beach colt to the April sale, and he was purchased for $355,000 by Steve Judy’s Four Sons Stable.
Normandy Coast is entered in the William Walker Stakes for 3-year-olds on the turf on Wednesday at Churchill Downs.
“Eddie is going to stay in, bought him for a friend of mine that’s newer to the business," said Donald Wells, who signed the ticket as agent. “I thought it was a fair price. A very good individual, strong, got a lot of future. He is just a 3-year-old. So, we are going to take him [to Churchill] and run him, see how he does on the turf, and we will go from there.”
Kenneally selected Normandy Coast for $60,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale. This is the second year in a row he has wheeled a young horse into this sale off a strong effort at Keeneland to be among the top prices. Last year, his supplemental entrant Cheval de Guerre co-topped the sale for $450,000 after finishing second on debut.
“I think there’s a lot of eyes on the races at Keeneland, and if you’re fortunate enough to run well in any race, let alone a stakes race here, everybody notices that,” Kenneally said. “So it’s a good platform, and it’s a good place to showcase a horse, especially a good horse like this. And I think the timing of the sale is ideal, too, with Churchill coming up, a lot of people in town for Derby week. So it’s just a good fit for me because we run a lot of horses at Keeneland, we’re stabled here, and it all worked out good.”
Tough Critic, a 2-year-old New York-bred son of Caravaggio, was the last horse supplemented into this year’s catalog after winning his debut Thursday at Keeneland for trainer George Weaver. He brought $350,000 as the final horse through the ring Friday night, with Blair Golden, assistant to Weaver, signing the ticket as agent to keep the colt in their stable. Golen suggested Tough Critic could eye the 2-year-old stakes at June’s Royal Ascot meeting in England.
“I have always liked this horse since we have had him,” Golen said. “He’s matured and grown up so much. . . . There is Ascot, and that is a lovely place to go, and we have a string in New York. He’d be very competitive at Saratoga. He’s a cool horse.”
The colt was another big windfall for his original connections, as Dew Sweepers purchased him for $47,000 at last summer’s Fasig-Tipton New York-bred yearling sale. Lesley Campion of Paramount Sales, which consigned the colt, as agent, said it is part of the stable’s business plan to race and sell.
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