Fillies continued to be in high demand during the ninth session of the Keeneland September yearling sale on Wednesday.

One day after fillies accounted for the top three prices during the eighth session of the sale, fillies brought the highest two prices at Wednesday’s session, which concluded with double-digit declines in gross receipts, average price, and median.

Legends Racing Stable was the leading buyer on Wednesday after purchasing a Tiznow filly for $400,000, the session’s top price. The dark bay or brown filly was Legends Racing Stable’s only purchase of the day.

Blandford Bloodstock paid $250,000, the session’s second-highest price, for a Songandaprayer filly.

“As the old adage goes, there’s always money for a quality individual,” said Geoffrey Russell, Keeneland’s director of sales. “We find that fillies are highly sought in today’s market because they retain their value longer.”

The session-topping Tiznow filly is out of multiple graded stakes winner Katz Me If You Can, by Storm Cat. Consigned by Eaton Sales, agent for Overbrook Farm, the filly is from the female family of Grade 1 winner Cuddles and Grade 3 winner Cause to Believe.

The Songandaprayer filly is a half sister to Group 3-placed winner Square Eddie and is out of multiple stakes-placed winner Forty Gran, by El Gran Senor. Anderson Farms, agent for Kinghaven Farms, consigned the Songandaprayer filly, who is from the female family of Grade 1 winner Pompeii.

Eaton Sales, agent, also consigned Wednesday’s highest-priced colt, a More Than Ready colt purchased by Edmonton for $175,000, the session’s third-highest price. The bay colt is out of the winning Indian Charlie mare Silent Circle.

Eaton Sales was the session’s leading consignor, selling 31 horses for $1,631,000.

Keeneland reported 266 of 353 horses offered as sold for total receipts of $10,244,800, a 30.1% decrease compared with last year’s corresponding session, in which 286 horses sold for $14,653,600. Average price decreased 24.8% from $51,236 last year to $38,514. The median of $30,000 was down 28.6% from $42,000 last year.

The buy-back rate increased from 20.6% last year to 24.6%.

Through nine days of the sale, 2,233 horses have sold for gross receipts of $305,698,100, a 13.8% decline compared with 2,269 horses sold for $354,714,200 through nine sessions last year. Average price decreased 12.4% to $136,900. The median of $80,000 is down 11.1%.

The sale continues through Tuesday, with sessions starting at 10 a.m. EDT daily.
(Source: Thoroughbred Times)