Keeneland’s 83rd November Breeding Stock Sale began its nine-day run Tuesday with a Book 1 catalog featuring a select group of accomplished broodmare prospects, proven mares in foal to leading stallions and well-bred weanlings by prominent stallions and popular young sires. With 23 horses bringing $1 million or more compared to 17 who reached that mark last year, Keeneland recorded nearly $96 million in sales — 31.88% higher than the first session of 2025.
At $5.2 million, the session’s high seller was Grade 2 winner and Grade 1-placed Quietside, a 4-year-old millionaire-earning daughter of Malibu Moon carrying her first foal by Nyquist. She was purchased by Erdenheim Farm Thoroughbreds, which led all buyers by spending $7.8 million for two horses. Erdenheim also paid $2.6 million for Grade 1 winner and millionaire Kilwin.
For the day, Keeneland sold 152 horses through the ring for $95,929,000, for an average of $631,112 and a median of $400,000. In addition to the double-digit increase in sales, the average rose 5.85% from $596,205. The median dipped 5.33% from $422,500 last year.
“It was an incredible day,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “It was an incredible horse sale. The catalog was deep and the buying bench was diverse and deep, and it just had a great energy to it all day long. I think it really was a very successful Book 1.”
“I think one thing you notice is the confidence of buyers, “Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “There was enthusiasm for quality stock, and we had an abundance of it today. We’ve got to thank our sellers, the consigners and the owners who entrusted their stock with us. This is sort of like the benchmark for the breeding side of things because this is the very foundation of the industry: the broodmares, the weanlings. This is where everything starts.
“The sale is on a really strong trajectory,” Lacy continued. “We’re almost double the gross from two years ago. This is a trend we’re seeing in the confidence in Keeneland — what we do and the efforts we put into recruiting, not just domestically but internationally. We put in a lot of time. We travel all over the world. That allows us to be the support system for the industry and for the breeders, and that’s what they expect from us. It’s great to see the volume of people from all over the world. It’s a global marketplace and it’s exhibited here in spades.”
Quietside, who was consigned by Stone Farm, agent, is out of Grade 2 winner Benner Island and from the family of Grade 2 winner Spacy Tracy and Grade 3 winner Victim of Love. She is the most expensive mare to sell at auction in North America this year.
“It’s spectacular,” Lynn Hancock of Stone Farm said about the sale. “We foaled her, raised her and (breeder John Ed Anthony’s Shortleaf Stable) took her to the track and sent her back to us. She’s a special mare. She ticks all the boxes. Beautiful physical. She’s a superstar, and she came up here, showed well and people saw that. We’re just thrilled.”
“We love Keeneland,” Hancock added, “and we thought she’d stand out here and show well, and she did just that. We’ve got a long history with Keeneland, and it’s thrilling to come up here and get this kind of result.”
“My father (John Ed Anthony) deserves all the credit,” Ed Anthony said. “He has been in the game for 50 years and has had a lot of good horses. This filly is pretty special because we bred her. And we own her dam (Benner Island), who is entered in the (2027 Keeneland) January (Horses of All Ages) Sale. My father is 87, and he is starting to downsize a little bit. We have been racing homebreds for a long time.”
In other sales Monday,
Ahavah, a winning Grade 2 placed runner who is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Vahva and in foal to Gun Runner, sold to Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa for $4.8 million. Lane’s End, agent, consigned the 4-year-old daughter of City of Light out of stakes winner Holiday Soiree, by Harlan’s Holiday.
“I think there are a lot of updates to come with this family,” Jess Sikura of Hill ‘n’ Dale said. “Everything about her is appealing.”
M.V. Magnier and Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm purchased Admit, a 4-year-old Grade 2-winning daughter of Blame in foal to Life Is Good, for $3.1 million. Claiborne Farm, agent, consigned the mare from the family of leading sire Pulpit.
“Definitely hard decision to sell,” Claiborne’s Walker Hancock said. “We have had the family since (around) 1951. We still have a lot of the blood. We have two other Blame mares in the family. It is bittersweet, and I might regret it. We bought a few mares today – just trying to get some new blood infused into our broodmare band. Buying has been tough. We have had to pay more than we were hoping to.”
Flag Day, a 10-year-old daughter of Giant’s Causeway who is the dam of Grade 3 winner Hall of Fame and carrying a Gun Runner full sibling to that runner, sold for $2.9 million to Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm. Consigned by Denali Stud, agent for Earle Mack A Complete Breeding Stock Dispersal, she is out of the winning stakes-placed mare Sense to Compete and from the family of Grade 1 winner Diversify and Grade 3 winner Lady Digby.
“I know he’s (Giant’s Causeway) kind of ancient at this point, but I think he’s still just one of the top broodmare sires that we’ve had, and we also like that (Flag Day is) out of a Street Sense mare,” Pope said. “I think she’s a good broodmare, and she’s back in foal to Gun Runner. The plan would be to come back (to Keeneland in September) with that one as a yearling and get three, three and a half million for (him).”
Pope said she “was hoping (Flag Day) would be around two (million dollars), but everything’s bringing a lot of money, and if you want these kinds of mares, it’s what you have to do.”
Two horses sold for $2.6 million apiece.
Erdenheim Farm Thoroughbreds paid the amount for Kilwin, a 4-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy who was fourth in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1). Cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect, Kilwin is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner One Timer and Grade 3 winner Just Basking and from the family of Belmont (G1) winner Sir Winston. Her dam is Spanish Star, by Blame.
“We’re making plans,” said Chris Baker, who signed the ticket on behalf of Erdenheim Farm. “Whether or not she has any racing left is yet to be determined. We will talk with Rusty Arnold, who has been training her, and see what makes sense. Ultimately, she will be joining the broodmare band. This is a 10- to 15-year project.”
Kilwin was consigned by Royal Oak Farm, agent for BBN Racing and Rick Howard.
“It’s been quite a journey; she’s a really special filly,” said Brian Klatsky, founding partner of BBN Racing. “It is hard to see her go. Our partners had a great time with her. The new buyers can have a lot of fun with her, too. She has always been part of the family. We wish everybody the best.”
BBN Racing purchased Kilwin for $225,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
“We train here at Keeneland (on Rice Road),” Klatsky said. “She ran here in the Breeders’ Cup. We buy and sell everything here. This is home for us and BBN Racing.”
David Lanigan, agent/Heider Family Stables, spent $2.6 million for Grade 2 winner On Time Girl, a 3-year-old daughter of Not This Time out of Grade 3 winner Girl Daddy, by Uncle Mo. Taylor Made Sales Agency, consigned On Time Girl, who is from the family of Grade/Group 2 winners Miss Coronado, Ludy Lucia and Spirit Road and Grade 3 winner Karen’s Caper.
“She was a very good dirt filly, winner at 2 and continued on at 3,” Lanigan said, “She’s a very, very attractive filly by the right stallion, and the boss is keen to bring in some more dirt mares. He’ll make a plan with her and what he’s going to breed her to. She was his pick and pedigree in the whole book.”
Eve of War, whose 3-year-old son The Puma was second in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) Saturday at Keeneland, sold for $2.4 million to Al Ruwais Stables. A 9-year-old daughter of Declaration of War in foal to Sierra Leone, she is from the family of Grade 2 winner Gange and Grade 3 winners Bedanken and Apolda. Hidden Brook, agent, consigned Eve of War.
“We bought a quarter of The Puma five weeks ago,” buyer Bertie Butler said. “(Buyer Saleh Al Otaibi) wants to build a broodmare band for big racing around the world. I would have gone a bit less (on price), but the boss wanted her. I like the cover (Sierra Leone) on the mare and her foal (Hip 66, a weanling colt by Practical Joke sold for $900,000) is nice, and The Puma is the icing on the cake.”
Dead heat winner of Keeneland’s Jenny Wiley (G1) in April and fourth in the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) here Saturday, Expensive Queen (IRE) sold to Godolphin for $2.1 million. The 5-year-old daughter of Lope de Vega, who was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, is a full sister to Group 3 winner Antonia de Vega. Her dam is Witches Brew, by Duke of Marmalade (IRE).
At $1.3 million, Book 1’s top-priced weanling was a colt by Justify who is a full brother to Betfred Two Thousand Guineas (G1) winner Ruling Court and sold to M.V. Magnier and White Birch Farm. Nursery Place, agent, consigned the colt, whose dam is the winning Grade 3-placed runner Inchargeofme (GB), by High Chaparral (IRE).
“This is our first time in Book 1, so we’re glad we came,” Griffin Mayer of Nursery Place said. “It’s been an incredible day. Very, very thankful for all our guys and everybody back on the farm. Horses came up here; they looked great, they showed great and we got the results we’re really hoping for.
“We raised Ruling Court,” Mayer continued. “I walked Ruling Court as a weanling and got to walk this one. And this horse might be better. He really is. He has a bigger stride on him. We sold an Up to the Mark (half-brother to Ruling Court and the weanling) for $1.65 million (at Keeneland) in September, which was unbelievable. We’ve loved this horse. That (price) does not surprise me at all.”
Taylor Made Sales Agency was the session’s leading consignor, selling 34 horses for $22,885,000. They included seven horses in the Complete Dispersal of Aaron and Marie Jones that brought a total of $3.22 million. Purchased for $975,000 by Al Ruwais Stables, the top seller of the Jones horses was Sweet Kisses, a 9-year-old daughter of Carpe Diem in foal to Into Mischief. Sweet Kisses is the dam of stakes winners Donut God and Hammond.
