Storm The Hill tops fifth session and will stay in training

Storm The Hill, a three-year-old filly who became a stakes winner at Santa Anita Park after she was catalogued for the Keeneland November Sale, was purchased by Lynn and Rovena Alexander's Alastar Thoroughbreds for $275,000, the top price during the fifth session of the Lexington auction.

When the Keeneland catalogue was released, Storm The Hill was stakes-placed. But then she took the Unzip Me Stakes at Santa Anita September 30 and finished third in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes on turf on October 29 to increase her earnings to $172,995.

Mike Akers, who represented Alastar in the transaction, said the filly will remain in training, but he did not know who will condition her. She was trained by Peter Miller for her last five starts. Akers said the price was in the ballpark of what he was prepared to pay.

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"We thought she would bring $250,000-$300,000," Akers said. "Very good trade. Nothing is easy."

"She was just a lovely filly," said Meg Levy, whose Bluewater Sales consigned Storm The Hill. "She did what she was supposed to do. She is what everybody wants. She vets. She's beautiful."

Levy said the filly fell within the regular portion of the catalogue rather than the racing-age segment that takes place November 13-14 because her racing career was not as accomplished when she was entered in the sale.

A bay daughter of Get Stormy bred in Kentucky by Kimberly Bradley and William Bradley, Storm The Hill was produced from Thornhill, a daughter of Good And Tough who earned $117,123, won four races, and has produced stakes-placed runner Fleur De Lilly. Thornhill is a half-sister to the hard-knocking multiple stakes winner Superior Storm, who tallied 16 wins in 29 starts and earned more than $1 million.

Saturday - the first day of the two-day Book 3 - saw solid trade, as Keeneland sold 248 horses for a total of $15,313,000, a gain of 10 per cent from last year's session gross of $13,975,700 for 226 horses. The average price of $61,746 dipped from $61,839 in 2016. The median of $47,000 was unchanged.

Cumulatively 908 horses have sold for $159,410,000, down 6 per cent from the same period in 2016, when 921 horses brought $169,809,200. The average price of $175,562 is 5 per cent below the $184,375 recorded in 2016, while the median of $100,000 has increased 5 per cent.

The day's leading consignor was Lane's End Farm, which sold 28 horses for $2,222,000.

Springhouse Farm acquired five horses for $595,000 to be the session's leading buyer.

The November Sale continues through to November 18, with all sessions beginning at 10am ET.

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