| The global
bloodstock market switched its focus to Keeneland this week where two hundred of the
world’s finest yearlings are catalogued for the July Selected Yearling Sale. Interest this year surrounds not only the two hundred elite
thoroughbreds offered for sale but how the sale will hold up in the current financial
market.
Unfortunately results from the first session completed on
Monday night (American time) look to have echoed the downward financial trend, with just
forty-one of seventy-eight yearlings being sold for an average of US$383,902. This
reflects a 34% drop on the same session last year where the average was US$587,432.
Just thirty-seven yearlings found new homes from a session
decimated by some twenty-two withdrawals. Amongst those sold, and the eventual top price,
was a US$2 million dollar filly by the Widden shuttle sire Belong to Me.
John Ferguson Bloodstock purchased the chestnut filly, from
the dual Group One winning A.P. Indy mare Tomisue’s Delight, on behalf of Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum.
With another two yearlings sold Belong to Me finished the
night on top, and whilst the average of US$780,000 means little with only three horses
sold, he tipped out Gone West, whose three offerings sold for an average of US$708,333 and
included the second most expensive lot, the US$1.35 million filly from the Deputy Minister
mare Primedex.
The remaining eighty-four lots (there are a further sixteen
withdrawals listed at 15/7/02) due to go through the ring tomorrow at 7:30pm (Kentucky
time) will need to gross US$73,040,875 to attain the record average set last year of
US$710,247. That’s an average of US$869,534 per horse and that seems unlikely.
A filly sure to give the top price a nudge, however, is Lot
105, a half-sister to Champion racehorse Chief Bearhart. Chief Bearhart’s racetrack
exploits earned him two Horse of the Year titles, a swag of champion tag’s and over
three million dollars. He shares the catalogue page with Group One Hollywood Derby winner
Explosive Red, Group Two Dixie Stakes winner Strut the Stage and Group Three Lancashire
Oaks winner Sacred Song.
A potential sale topper on paper, this filly is by none
other than Storm Cat, who stands at Overbrook Farm for the princely sum of US$500,000. The
filly will be the second Storm Cat led through the ring with three of four from the first
session withdrawn. Last year Storm Cat was leading sire with five yearlings grossing
US$8.85 million dollars.
For all the latest results visit Keeneland’s web site www.keeneland.com and follow the live sales link. |
