'You knew he was a seven-figure horse' - Gun Runner to the fore as $2.2 million colt tops Keeneland September Sale opener

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale kicked off on Monday with the average and median up from last year's opening session. Mandy Pope of Whisper Hill Farm signed the ticket for hip 169 to top the session at $2.2 million. 

The grey or roan colt by Gun Runner was bred at Three Chimneys Farm near Versailles, Kentucky, and is out of Princesa Carolina, a multiple Graded stakes-placed mare from the family of Pure Clan.

"He's an amazing horse, he's got everything, the looks, the shoulder, the hip, everything," said Todd Quast on behalf of Pope's Whisper Hill Farm.

"We bought the Pure Clan filly at Saratoga, loved her. We know where she was raised. We do a lot of stuff with Three Chimneys. We're just super happy to have him. Hopefully, he can run, but he sure looks the part, he really does."

Gun Runner is third on the leading sires list for 2024, with 94 winners, nine of them Graded stakes winners. He topped the sale with 15 yearlings sold for a gross of $12,525,000 and an average of $835,000. He was the only sire in session one to have multiple horses sell for over $1m, of which he had five.

Todd Quast and Mandy Pope after signing for the $2.2 million Gun Runner colt on the first day of KeenelandCredit: Keeneland photo

"He was such a nice horse, you knew he was a seven-figure horse," said consignor Kerry Cauthen of Four Star Sales. "To get to where he did, I think you've got to be grateful and delighted.

"Every day he kept going, he just did better and better. He was just such a cool horse. He was shown and I'll give a shout out to his groom, Isaac, who came over from Three Chimneys and showed him himself, and showed him the whole time and did an excellent job."

The colt got a little feisty in the back ring, and Cauthen thought that it worked out to his advantage.

He said: "I think people saw the spice in him, and actually I think Todd just said, you know, it kind of sold Mandy; like wow, he really does look like he's ready to go. He's a damn nice horse.  

"I think it's very competitive for the good ones. I was focused on my group today, but the market looks like it's everything you'd want it to be." 

The top-priced filly of the session was hip 24, a filly by Gun Runner purchased by Douglas Scharbauer, whose father, Clarence, raced 1987 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Alysheba. He went to $1.5m for the filly, who became the first horse to break the seven-figure barrier.

The Gun Runner filly out of Del Mar Oaks winner Dream Dancing after her $1.5 million sale to Douglas Scharbauer at KeenelandCredit: Keeneland photo

The chestnut filly is the fourth foal out of 2017 Del Mar Oaks winner Dream Dancing, by Tapit. Gainesway consigned her on behalf of breeder John C Oxley, who also bred and raced the mare.

Fourteen horses sold for $1m or more on opening day of the sale, to 14 different buyers, showing the diversity of this sale. 

There were domestic and international buyers active on Monday afternoon, with two horses heading to Japan. Hip 175, a filly by Quality Road out of Rachel's Valentina, sold to North Hills, and hip 167, a colt by Into Mischief out of Point Of Honor, sold to Mitsu Nakauchida.

"The average was $560,000, which is about 11 per cent over last year, and the median was $450,000, so that's 12 per cent, which is exactly the metric we're looking at," said Tony Lacy, vice-president of sales at Keeneland.

"We're very pleased the way it came out of the gate, the first hips sold well. The first three hips sold really well, well above the reserve."

Taylor Made was the leading consignor with a gross of $7,310,000 from 17 horses sold, for an average of $430,000. Resolute Bloodstock's John Stewart was the leading buyer, with six yearlings for a gross of $3,775,000.

Tony Lacy and Shannon Arvin on the opening day of the Keeneland September Yearling SaleCredit: Keeneland photo

During last year's opening session, 120 horses sold for a gross of $57,845,000, compared to this year's gross of $55,765,000 from 103 horses sold. Thirty-nine horses did not meet their reserve, resulting in an RNA rate of 27.5 per cent, up from last year's 18.9 per cent. 

Lacy said: "I think at the end of the day looking at the numbers they were incredibly healthy. Fourteen horses brought a million or more. We're just going through the numbers in the first top 20-priced horses, they were bought by 20 different buyers. 

"We really appreciate the consignors and breeders who supported us, because this is something we put a lot of effort into, pushing Book 1 as the dominant marketplace in the country."

Book 1 continues on Tuesday, beginning at 1pm ET (6pm BST) with hips 191-372 set to go through the ring. As of Monday evening, 26 horses had been withdrawn from the second session. 

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