'We had to have her' - filly from first crop of Audible proves hot at $360,000

Towards the end of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale's fifth session on Sunday, a bidding war began over a $360,000 filly from the first crop of Audible, helping boost aggregate sales of 2021 past the 2020 total with five more sessions remaining this year.

Half way through this year's sale, Keeneland reported 1,145 horses of the 1,415 offered had sold for gross receipts of $168,772,000, an average of $147,399, and a median of $95,000. The RNA rate is 19.1 per cent.

At this stage last year, cumulative figures showed 1,042 horses sold from 1,321 offered for gross receipts of $134,977,500, an average of $129,537, and a median of $75,000 while the RNA rate was 21.1 per cent.

By the end of all 10 sessions in 2020, gross sales stood at $157,822,800.

Sunday's session, the end of Book 3, saw 282 change hands from 333 offered to gross $19,590,500, an average of $69,470, and a median of $57,000. The RNA rate was 15.3 per cent. At the comparable session in 2020, 241 horses sold from 292 offered for total receipts of $13,236,500, an average of $54,923, and a median of $42,000. The session's RNA rate in 2020 was 17.5 per cent.

Numbers for this year's sale will continue to be updated with post-sale reports.

Topping the session was the filly by WinStar Farm's Audible who came through the ring late on Sunday. The filly, consigned as hip 1801 by Taylor Made Sales Agency, hammered at $360,000. The final blow was landed by Katie Cauthen on behalf of Bill and Susan Casner.

The chestnut filly out of the Flatter mare Nagambie received a major page update before the sale: her half sister Juju's Map won the Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland and finished second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar.

"She was a lovely filly," Cauthen said. "We liked the physical a lot and really liked the update [from Juju's Map]. Bill Casner loved her walking video. He has trusted us for a long time and we had to have her."

Hip 1801 was bred in Kentucky by Fred Hertrich. Her dam, Nagambie, is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Fault, and the female family also produced Grade 1 winner Bast.

The Casners purchased two other horses during Book 2: Summer Vacation (hip 680), an Eskendereya mare out of multiple Grade 1 producer Dream of Summer who is in foal to Twirling Candy, for $460,000 and a weanling colt by Dialed In (hip 850) for $65,000.

"Bill wants to get back in the game," Cauthen said of the WinStar co-founder he sold his interest to Kenny Troutt, also co-founder, in 2010. "He's been sitting on the sidelines for a while. They are really excited to be back."

Woodford Thoroughbreds bought the top mare of the session, going to $300,000 for the Super Simple, a five-year-old Super Saver mare from the immediate family of Hopeful Stakes winner Gunite. Super Simple, in foal to Volatile, was consigned as hip 1502 by Warrendale Sales. Woodford was the second-leading buyer of the session, purchasing four mares Sunday for a total of $595,000.

The leading buyer for the second straight day was Code Of Honor, LLC/L.E.B. Lane's End Farm spent $690,000 on six mares Sunday with the intention of breeding them to Code Of Honor, who will join the farm's roster in 2022.

The day's third-highest price of $285,000 was for a weanling colt by Mitole, consigned as hip 1432 by Mulholland Springs, early in the session. The colt out of the Quality Road mare Rode Warrior was purchased by Corinne and Bill Heiligbrodt and Spendthrift Farm.

"I think people want to spend more on quality, go all-in on something they like rather than buying several, maybe overpaying for something they love," said Mulholland Spring's John Mulholland. "If you have what buyers want, then you are going to get paid more than you should."

Machmer Hall's Carrie Brogden summed the market up in one word: strong.

"What's happening is because no one can buy from the earlier books," Brogden said. "Everyone's getting pushed back further. People are sitting on either side of where we hang out in the ring, and some haven't been able to buy anything. It's very frustrating. It's just a wait-and-see game for anything with any quality."

The Keeneland November Sale continued on SundayCredit: Keeneland photo

First Finds' Tami Bobo, who has secured 12 weanlings and one broodmare at Keeneland so far, found a City of Light filly in the back ring Sunday. She spent $120,000 for the weanling, consigned as hip 1642 by Nicky Drion Thoroughbreds, agent.

"I feel like the market has been strong the last couple of days. It became strong earlier in the sale," Bobo said. "I felt, for me, Book 3 was a great spot to pick up some horses. I just happened to see the City of Light filly in the back ring. She looked like a scorpion, and City of Light's weanling average is $190,000, so I think there is a lot of upside and residual value on her. I think if you find them in in the back ring, you have to be ready to jump on them. I don't need to buy anymore, but if they walk in here looking like her, then I might."

The session's leading consignor was Taylor Made Sales Agency, which sold 28 head for gross receipts of $2,729,000. The second leading consignor for the fifth session was Indian Creek, which sold 16 horses for a total of $1,928,000.

"I think it's been very vibrant," Indian Creek's Sarah Sutherland said of the trade. "We've been fortunate that what we've brought to this sale has been pretty well edited and curated. We have nice young mares. The weanlings are by good stallions out of good families and I think you see that be rewarded.

"The quality is holding. So, if you invest wisely on the front end, whether you're buying fillies to race and retire into your broodmare band or buying mares carefully, you put the work in, and you're still being rewarded for that here.

"It feels healthy and I think it's going to keep trickling down. It's been a perfect couple of days for us, and everything has exceeded our expectations coming out here."

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