Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale ended Monday as the highest-grossing thoroughbred auction, setting a number of industry and sale records.
During the 14-day auction, buyers spent $384,349,900, eclipsing the industry record of $324,904,300, set last year. The 3,545 horses sold was also an industry record, topping the 3,461 horses sold during Keeneland’s 1999 November Breeding Stock Sale.

The average price of $108,240 and the median price of $40,000 were records for Keeneland’s 62-year-old September sale.

Forty horses sold for $1 million or more, one more than the previous industry record, set during the 2000 November sale.

The highest-priced horse in the sale was sired by Storm Cat, a Lexington-based stallion that commands a stud fee of $500,000, the world’s highest. The colt, out of the broodmare Tranquility Lake, brought $9.7 million - the third-highest price ever paid for a horse at auction. John Ferguson purchased the colt on behalf of Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the crown prince of Dubai.

Ferguson spent $41,875,000, a sale record, after spending the previous record mark of $33,930,000 in 2004.

The 26 horses sired by Storm Cat sold for an average price of $1,766,731, breaking his own sale record, set in 2001. Taylor Made Sales Agency of Nicholasville consigned 360 horses to the sale that brought $60,997,400, an industry record for consignor gross.

Posted: 09|27|05 at 9:17 am. Filed under: US News.