Fifth and Madison Brings $135,000 to Top Wednesday at Keeneland January Sale

By Amy Owens —-

LEXINGTON, KY (Jan. 11, 2017) – Fifth and Madison, a winning 4-year-old daughter of Street Sense cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect, sold to Mayday B. Branham for $135,000 to lead Wednesday’s third session of the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale.

Out of the Unbridled mare Unaffordable, Fifth and Madison was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, which led all consignors during the session by selling 36 horses for $812,700. Fifth and Madison is a half-sister to stakes winners Fordubai and Fast Alex, and is from the family of Grade 2 winner Softly and Grade 3 winners Scoop, Hold Old Blue and Coragil Cat.

Doug Branham of Hurricane Hills Farm in Central Kentucky said Fifth and Madison most likely would be bred this year.

The day’s second-high seller at $125,000 was Bubbles and Babies, a 6-year-old daughter of A.P. Indy in foal to Street Boss, sold to Josham Farms Ltd., agent. Valkyre Stud, agent, consigned Bubbles and Babies, whose dam, the Bernstein mare Dream Empress, won the Darley Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland and was second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) in 2008. Bubbles and Babies is from the family of Grade 1 winners Prenup and Yonaguska.

On Wednesday, Keeneland sold 197 horses for $3,415,900, for an average of $17,340 and a median of $8,500. Total sales were 10.52 percent below last year’s $3,817,300 for 220 horses. The average nearly mirrored last year’s $17,351, while the median of $8,500 was 5.56 percent lower than last year’s $9,000.
“It was good to see the two mares top the sale and break the $100,000 mark today. That shows there is still money here,” Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell said. “The theme for the sales season for 2016 and 2017 continues to be ‘quality sells.’ That is where the Thoroughbred market is at the moment. It is an expensive business to be in. So people are tending to gravitate to less quantity and higher quality.”

Through the first three days of the five-day sale, Keeneland has sold 581 horses for $24,989,500, down 17.98 percent from the comparable period last year when 595 horses brought $30,468,900. The average of $43,011 was 16 percent below $51,208 in 2016. The median of $20,000 is 9 percent lower than last year’s $22,000.
The session’s top-priced yearling was a colt by 2013 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Orb sold to K.M.C.F.F. for $95,000. Hunter Valley Farm, agent, consigned the yearling, whose dam is the stakes-placed Langfuhr mare Cherryblossommiss, a half-sister to multiple Grade 2 winner Imperialism and multiple Keeneland stakes winner White Beauty.
The session’s leading buyer was trainer J. Keith Desormeaux, who spent $179,000 for five horses.

The January Sale continues through Friday. Sessions begin daily at 10 a.m. ET. The entire sale is streamed live at Keeneland.com.
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For 80 years, the Keeneland Association has devoted itself to the health and vibrancy of the Thoroughbred industry. As the world’s largest Thoroughbred auction company, Keeneland conducts sales every January, September and November. Its sales graduates dominate racing across the globe at every level. In April and October, Keeneland offers some of the highest caliber and richest Thoroughbred racing in the world. In 2015, Keeneland hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Uniquely structured, Keeneland is a private, for-profit corporation that returns its earnings to the industry and the community in the form of higher purses, and it has donated millions of dollars in charitable contributions for education, research and health and human services throughout Central Kentucky. To learn more about Keeneland, visit Keeneland.com.