With $18,485,000 in through-the-ring sales on Wednesday, the ninth of 12 sessions of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the cumulative gross reached $511,680,500 to exceed the total of $510,539,900 in through-the-ring sales for the entire 12-day auction last year.A pair of yearlings led the Book 5 opener, bringing $250,000 apiece. Midway through Wednesday's session, a colt by Dialed In (Hip 3093) was secured by Kimmel/Sallusto, signing on behalf of Nick Sallusto's Thorostock. Later in the day, a filly by Army Mule (Hip 3178) matched that price when selling to agent Gracie Bloodstock.The latter, consigned by agent Paramount Sales, is a daughter of Meetmeonline (Line of David), who is a half-sister to GSW and sire Bucchero (Kantharos). This is also the family of Grade I winner and millionaire World of Trouble (Kantharos).Since the September Sale began Sept. 14, Keeneland has sold 2,027 horses through the ring for an average of $252,432 and a median of $150,000. The gross is 4.93% above the same period last year, when 2,074 yearlings brought $487,624,500. The average of $251,432 is 7.37% higher than $235,113 in 2025, while the median equals last year's figure. RNAs increased slightly from 677 to 680 this year.“To already surpass last year's entire through-the-ring gross with three sessions still to go speaks volumes about the strength of this market and the quality of the horses here,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “None of this happens without the breeders and consignors who bring these horses to Keeneland and the buyers who support the sale from start to finish. We're grateful for everyone who continues to believe in this marketplace and make it what it is. We've still got three days to go, so we're looking forward to seeing where we finish.”On Wednesday, the session produced double-digit increases across the board. A total of 295 yearlings sold for an average of $62,661 and a median of $50,000. The average of $62,661 jumped 23.28% from last year's $50,827, while the median of $50,000 was 25% higher than $40,000. The RNA increased by 1.64% to 62 for the session.“I think it's been more the same,” said Sallusto near the end of the session. “I think the strength has run all the way through the whole entire sale. I thought yesterday the end of Book 4 was unusually strong. Seemed like anything that I rated above average sold for more than I appraised it, even down into the book yesterday. I think it's been incredibly strong. I think the trickle-down effect is real, and I think that the buyers keep getting pushed down that can't fill their orders, that it starts in Book 1 and it rolls down.” Kimmel, Sallusto Still Firing on Day 9Wednesday's session-topping colt was consigned by Highgate Sales on behalf of breeder Heidi Bailey's No Escape Ranch in Valley View, Texas.The purchase represented the fourth of the day for the tandem of John Kimmel and Nick Sallusto.“I was pretty wowed with his physical,” said Sallusto. “Obviously, we all like to have the right sires, but for me, physical comes first when I'm buying to resell. And I would say his physical was a non-stop physical would be the term I would use. It's really pretty amazing.”Out of the winning-mare Halama (Pioneerof the Nile), the Texas-bred colt is a great grandson of multiple Grade I winner Keeper Hill (Deputy Minister). Halama was purchased for $70,000 at Keeneland November in 2022.“He had a lot of Pioneerof the Nile in him, which just added that bit of stretch to him,” he explained. “So, he certainly doesn't look limited. He's the prototypical horse that I think everybody's after as an end user. Lots of speed, but has the leg and the stretch to really stretch out, which is the dream, right?”Through nine sessions, the colt was also the highest-priced yearling by Dialed In at this year's Keeneland September.“He's really stayed very active over a long period of time in Kentucky, which is very difficult to do,” said Sallusto of the Darby Dan sire. “I think he definitely has his own following. If a horse performs, I think most people find the stallion is something they can use if the performance is there.”In association with Kimmel, Sallusto's Keeneland September purchases is led by Hip 642, a colt by red-hot sire Nyquist out of Hot Cha (Bernardini) who brought $2.25 million in Book 2.Consigned by Taylor Made Sales, the colt was purchased on behalf of Alex and JoAnn Lieblong.“I think you start off by talking about the type of sire power, Nyquist is certainly a Book 1 sire. Then you go to the second part of that, which is he's out of a Bernardini mare who's one of the best broodmare sires in this country, if not the world,” said Sallusto, explaining the sixth highest-priced yearling of this year's sale. “And then you add in the fact that he was, my opinion, the top physical in that book. So when all of those things collide, you know you're in for a fist fight. You never quite know how big of a fist fight you're in for. We advised Mr. Lieblong on what we thought about the horse, and he's a businessman and a horseman in his own right. Then he makes the decision about what the right thing for him is in terms of the valuation.”According to Sallusto, the colt will be sent to Thorostock in Ocala.“[Lieblong] was incredibly smitten with the horse within seconds of seeing him,” he recalled. “And he's the type of horse that when you get in front of him, he produces that type of feeling. It's just a lot. You can feel the class. And he elicited a strong response from Mr. Lieblong and he made that decision and he got himself a beautiful horse.”Buying yearlings as both an end-user and a pinhooker, Sallusto was kept busy scouting potential purchases throughout the first five books.“We've been able to buy the type of physicals and the pedigrees we want for under the average, which I consider a success, but we're still paying a significant amount of money in relationship to the market that we're selling into,” he explained. “The strength of the 2-year-old market is not quite the same as the yearling market in the sense of there's a strong desire for the top, but the middle market suffers in the 2-year-old market. So if you missed a mark, it's very, very hard to make money, break even or move those horses along. So you're really aiming for the top.”The duo of Kimmel/Sallusto were busy through nine sessions, buying 14 head (through the ring) and one additional post sale for a gross of $6.075 million.The team also purchased yearlings for Flanagan Racing (by Maxfield, Hip 1872 for $600,000), in addition to Dennis Drazin (by Gun Runner, Hip 670 for $325,000).“I'm thrilled with everything I bought,” Sallusto said. “There's always a few that you feel got away and that's part of it, but I absolutely think it's just a strong group top to bottom, and I'm going home feeling very satisfied with the horse flesh I have.”He added, “You always like to go home thinking that you would've liked to pay a little less, and I think that's normal. But I think at the end of the day, the ones that you stretch for are the ones that other people stretch for on the other side as well.”The post Keeneland September Surpasses Record Gross on Day 9, Yearlings by Dialed In, Army Mule Lead the Day appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.