Colts by Not This Time, Curlin Top ‘Thrilling’ Final Session of Kentucky October Yearlings

The final session of the 2024 Kentucky October Yearlings sale held Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky, yielded new sale records in gross and average, a historically competitive median, and the lowest RNA rate at this sale since 2013.

A pair of colts tied for top billing during the fourth session, selling for $500,000 each.

First through the ring was a colt by Not This Time (hip 1280) which sold for $500,000 to Case Clay from the consignment of Hunter Valley Farm, agent (video). The dark bay or brown colt is of the winning Medaglia d’Oro mare Aureum, a half-sister to group stakes winner and multiple Grade/Group 1 performer Nemoralia. Hip 1280 hails from the immediate family of Grade 1 winners Stellar Jayne, Starrer, and Star Billing. The colt was bred in Kentucky.

Less than 15 minutes later, a Curlin colt (hip 1288) matched the $500,000 price tag when purchased by Jones/Everett, agent, from the consignment of Eaton Sales, agent (video). The dark bay or brown colt is out of A Z Warrior (Bernardini), a Grade 1 winner and multiple stakes producer, whose five winners to date include stakes winners Justa Warrior (Justify) and Key to My Heart (IRE) (Galileo). Hip 1288 was bred in Kentucky.

The top price overall came during the sale’s Tuesday session, when a colt by Curlin sold for $550,000. The top price for a filly was established during the Wednesday session, when a daughter of Curlin sold for $500,000.

“It’s been a tremendous Kentucky October Yearlings sale,” said Fasig-Tipton Boyd Browning. “We had a record-breaking gross, a record average price. There was great activity all the way through (the sale), from the very first horse in the ring Monday to the very last horse in the ring tonight. All in all, I’m somewhere between thrilled and ecstatic.”

Other top hips from the session include:

• A filly from the first crop of Charlatan (hip 1231), sold for $400,000 to Legacy Ranch Inc. from the consignment of Indian Creek, agent. The chestnut filly is the first foal out of American Life, a Medaglia d’Oro daughter of Grade 2 winner and multiple graded stakes winner Paid Up Subscriber. Hip 1231 was bred in Kentucky by Magic Cap Stables LLC.
• A filly by Practical Joke (hip 1276), sold for $400,000 to Mike Ryan, agent, from the consignment of Hunter Valley Farm, agent. The bay filly is out of the Stormy Atlantic mare Atlantic Dream – a full sister to multiple graded stakes winner and near-millionaire Icy Atlantic and a half-sister to graded stakes winner and Grade 1 producer Wild Promises. Hip 1276 is a half-sister to Grade 1 placed winner Gozilla.
• A Speightstown colt (hip 1360), sold for $400,000 to Novogratz Racing Stables from the consignment of Eaton Sales, agent. The bay colt is out of the Union Rags mare Blessed Union, from the immediate family of champion Gluck and Grade 1 stakes winners Flanders and Surfside. Hip 1360 was bred in Kentucky by Tuscany Bloodstock.

“It’s encouraging from both a sales company perspective and an industry perspective that we continue to, as a country, produce quality horses that are desirable around the world,” added Browning. “The consignors continue to bring us a higher quality horse each year and that’s reflected in the results. There was participation from a broad buying group, strong American participation, strong participation from international buyers – literally from buyers all over the world.”

Overall, 1122 yearlings sold during the four-session sale to establish a new sale-record gross of $58,575,500. The figure exceeded last year’s gross of $51,120,000 by 14.6%, and is 5.7% higher than the previous record set at $55,426,500 in 2022. Similarly, the average rose to $52,206, an increase of 8,7% over last year and a 3.6% increase over the previous watermark of $50,388, also set in 2022. The median was $20,000, good for fourth highest in sale history. The RNA rate was just 17%, down from 21.5% in 2023, and the lowest at this sale since 2013.

Full results are available online.