Keeneland’s Influential September Yearling Sale Opens Monday

By Amy Owens —-

Keeneland’s Influential September Yearling Sale Opens Monday
Sale debuts September Sale Bonus Program, new format

LEXINGTON, KY (Sept. 7, 2017) – Keeneland begins its 74th annual September Yearling Sale on Monday with a premier Book 1 sale of 167 elite yearlings that starts at 3 p.m. ET. A total of 4,139 yearlings have been cataloged to the September Sale, which will cover 12 sessions through Saturday, Sept. 23.

“Globally, the September Sale is the primary source of champions and graded stakes winners year after year,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing and Sales Bob Elliston said. “Keeneland is excited to kick off the sale with a revised Week 1 format featuring an exclusive one-day Book 1 followed by a three-day Book 2, and the debut of the lucrative September Sale Bonus Program.”

The September Sale Bonus Program comprises two components – the Book 1 Bonus and Seller Bonus – that offer sellers and owners the opportunity to earn cash rewards The Book 1 Bonus targets Grade or Group 1 stakes winners that sold as yearlings in the premier Book 1 portion of the September Sale. The Seller Bonus extends opportunities for rewards to all eligible graded or group stakes winners sold in any book of the September Sale.

Each year, the September Sale produces more horses that excel in the world’s most important races than all other North American sales companies combined. Through Labor Day, September Sale alumni have won 143 graded and/or group stakes around the globe in 2017. The winners of 33 Grade/Group 1 stakes include Abel Tasman (Coaching Club American Oaks, Acorn, Kentucky Oaks), Always Dreaming (Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands), American Patriot (Maker’s 46 Mile), Arrogate (Pegasus World Cup Invitational, Dubai World Cup), Beach Patrol (Arlington Million), Classic Empire (Arkansas Derby), Collected (TVG Pacific Classic), Cloud Computing (Preakness), Cupid (Gold Cup at Santa Anita), Divisidero (Woodford Reserve Turf Classic), Drefong (Forego), El Deal (Alfred G. Vanderbilt), Girvin (betfair.com Haskell Invitational), Lady Aurelia (King’s Stand), Lady Eli (Diana, Gamely), Lady Ivanka (Spinaway), Practical Joke (H. Allen Jerkens), Roly Poly (Prix Rothschild, Tattersalls Falmouth), Sailor’s Valentine (Central Bank Ashland), Sporting Chance (Hopeful) and West Coast (Travers).

The entire September Sale will be streamed live on Keeneland.com. TVG2 will present full coverage of the first two days with periodic live hits on subsequent sale days on TVG1.

Sale Features Format Change

As the world’s most important Thoroughbred sale, the September Sale offers a selection of quality yearlings at all levels of the market. Keeneland reformatted this year’s auction to better serve the largest and most diverse buying bench in the world by doubling the number of exceptional yearlings cataloged during Week 1 of the sale.

The format is as follows:

· Book 1 (Monday, Sept. 11) – Session begins at 3 p.m.
· Book 2 (Tuesday-Thursday, Sept. 12-14) – Sessions begin at 11 a.m. daily.
· Dark Day, Friday, Sept. 15 – No sale will be conducted.
· Books 3-6 (Saturday-Saturday, Sept. 16-23) – Sessions begin at 10 a.m.

Global Sire Power Highlighted

Keeneland’s September Sale is world famous for the depth and breadth of its sire list. This year’s catalog features yearlings by 206 established sires, led by Bernardini, Bodemeister, City Zip, Curlin, Dansili (GB), Distorted Humor, Dubawi (IRE), Empire Maker, Frankel (GB), Galileo (IRE), Ghostzapper, Giant’s Causeway, Into Mischief, Kitten’s Joy, Malibu Moon, Medaglia d’Oro, More Than Ready, Orb, Pioneerof the Nile, Smart Strike, Speightstown, Tapit, Tiznow, Uncle Mo and War Front.

Notably, the September Sale also will feature 83 yearlings from the last crop of the internationally successful sire Scat Daddy and the first known yearling by leading Japanese sire Deep Impact to be sold at public auction in the Northern Hemisphere.

The catalog in addition includes yearlings by such exciting young stallions as Cairo Prince, Cross Traffic, Fed Biz, Goldencents, Magician (IRE), Noble Mission (GB), Strong Mandate, Verrazano and Will Take Charge, among others.

Enhanced Resources Include Digital Book 1, September Sale Microsite

Keeneland’s expansive digital platform provides a unique range of tools and services to both sellers and buyers.
Keeneland has enhanced its digital Book 1 catalog to include yearling conformation photos, walking videos and interactive Keeneland Pedigrees with full updates and race replays for winners found within the pedigrees. The digital Book 1 catalog is available via Keeneland’s comprehensive September Sale microsite.
The September Sale microsite is an invaluable resource for horsemen, media and Thoroughbred racing fans. In addition to the digital Book 1 catalog, the site offers an interactive index that enables users to browse and filter the entire September Sale catalog. Also available are profiles of September Sale graduates that have won graded stakes in 2017, featuring footage of their sale at Keeneland as a yearling and race replays, and details about Keeneland’s new September Sale Bonus Program and Week 1 sale format and events.

Activities and Amenities Serve Horsemen and Guests

Keeneland sales are free and open to the public. Fans are encouraged to watch the auction, enjoy a variety of food options, browse The Keeneland Shop and its trunk show, and take a Behind-the-Scenes Sales Tour.

During Week 1 of the September Sale, Keeneland will offer a range of activities for clients and the public, among them:

Saturday-Monday, Sept. 9-11: A special feature of Keeneland’s popular year-round tour program is the Behind-the-Scenes Sales Tours. The two-hour tours, which take guests in the barns and Sales Pavilion, begin at 8 a.m. and are $25 per person. Behind-the-Scene Sales Tours also will be offered Sept. 15, 16, 17, 20, 22 and 23. Click here for more information.

Sunday-Monday, Sept. 10-11: From 11 a.m.-6 p.m., The Keeneland Shop will present a Trunk Show to showcase such premier vendors as Peter Millar, Ronner, Darren K. Moore, Res Ipsa and Henry Dry Goods. Guests will enjoy complimentary snacks and cocktails along with special offers. The event takes place just outside The Keeneland Shop near the Walking Ring. The Keeneland Shop also has partnered with the popular Beaufort Bonnet on a limited-edition Keeneland collection for children available in the store.

Wednesday, Sept. 13: Keeneland and VisitLEX’s Beyond Grits team together to present the fourth annual Jefferson Street Soiree to highlight the September Sale and one of downtown Lexington’s culinary and cocktail hot spots. From 6-10 p.m., 11 area restaurants and bars will offer food and beverage tastings, accompanied by live entertainment from Tee Dee Young Band and The Kentucky Hoss Cats. The festival district on Jefferson Street stretches from Maryland Avenue to West Short Street.

Throughout the September Sale, customers will be able to take advantage of a number of amenities on the sales grounds, including:

· A Concierge Service based at the information desk inside the main lobby of the Sales Pavilion with representatives also available in the nearby Business Center.
· Complimentary golf cart shuttles throughout the stable area to assist clients with moving through the barns and to and from the Sales Pavilion. Shuttles will run continuously each sale day from 8 a.m. until the end of the sale and on preview days from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
· Complimentary coffee each day in the Limestone Café in the Sales Pavilion and at Tincan Coffee by Barns 22-23 from 7-10 a.m.
· Dining at the Limestone Café each day from 7:30 a.m. for breakfast until the conclusion of the session. A number of new menu items will be available there and on the sales grounds.
· Keeneland Fall Ale, a collaboration of Keeneland and Country Boy Brewing. The popular small-batch brew, a lightly hopped American pale ale introduced three years ago, will be available at local restaurant and bars, Country Boy’s two locations and at Keeneland.”