by Jessica Martini & Christina BossinakisLEXINGTON, KY – The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale ticked along through its first of two Book 2 sessions, producing its 24th million-dollar result, even as action preceded at a more measured pace Wednesday in Lexington.“It was a little more reserved than yesterday,” said Keeneland's Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. “Yesterday was a fantastic sale. Today was a little more normal. The RNA rate was a little higher, the average and median were down a tick. We had 25 fewer horses that sold through the ring. So it was a little more measured today. Back to regular programming, so to speak. But in saying that, quality horses sold well.”During Wednesday's session, 210 horses sold for $39,535,000. The session average was $188,262–down 6.59% from last year's figure of $201,540. The median dipped 6.25%, from $160,000 in 2025 to $150,000 Wednesday.Book 2 in 2025 produced a cumulative average of $192,804 and a median of $160,000.With 103 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 32.91%. It was 22.19% during last year's Book 2 opener.The mare market remained steady in year-to-year comparisons and Lacy attributed the declines largely to Wednesday's weanling market.During Wednesday's session, 94 foals sold through the ring for an average of $154,149 and a median of $132,500.Zee Drop | Lane's EndAt the Book 2 opener a year ago, 100 weanlings averaged $180,400, with a median of $157,500. The cumulative Book 2 average for weanlings was $172,480 and the median was $150,000.“In terms of the session average and median from last year, it wasn't down far–it was down 6 or 7%, but the weanling sector accounted for that,” said Keeneland Senior Director of Sales Operations Cormach Breathnach. “The mare market was steady with last year. The pinhookers are here, they are active and there are a lot [of weanlings] to come. So they are maybe not pitting themselves against each other so much to this point in the sale. A lot of end-users are still buying the weanlings. So there are still a lot of buyers who have a lot of volume orders that haven't struck at their regular rate yet. There is a long way to go. With these long sales, we are not going to judge it too much on one day, but we want to see the RNA rate come down and the median stay as healthy as possible.”Comparing the weanling market from 2025 to the Book 2 opener this year, Lacy said, “Last year was extremely strong. There was a lot of competition. I think we have to back up and realize that, yes, it's down a little bit, but it was up quite a bit last year. When we make these jumps year over year, this might be slight realism kicking in. But I do think the pinhookers are just being a little bit more measured in their activity this year.”With two hips left to sell, Bertie Butler made Wednesday's highest bid when going to $1 million to acquire the broodmare Zee Drop (Lemon Drop Kid), in foal to Flightline, on behalf of Al Ruwais Stable. The mare was consigned by Lane's End.The Keeneland November sale continues through Wednesday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m. Zee Drop Tops Wednesday's Keeneland November ActionIn the waning moments of Wednesday's Keeneland November sale Book 2 opener, agent Bertie Butler, bidding from the back ring, outlasted St. Elias's Monique Delk to snag Zee Drop (Lemon Drop Kid) (Hip 717), who sold in foal to Flightline.Bertie Butler | KeenelandButler was bidding on behalf of Saleh Al Otaibi's Al Ruwais Stables, who also purchased The Puma (Essential Quality)'s dam Eve of War (Declaration of War) for $2.4 million in Book 1.“I think she's a really, really nice mare, good quality mare,” said Bertie Butler. “She has a great cover and I just loved her. I loved her. I sent [Otaibi] a video and he loved her and he was very happy to have a go and we're just trying to get good mares for him.He continued, “He wants to get up this game and he's a great man and that's basically all I can say. We're very happy with the mare.”In regard to the covering sire, Butler added, “To me, the bonus was Flightline. He was a magical horse and I think he's going to be a very good sire.”Out of Ash Zee (Exchange Rate), the 10-year-old mare was consigned by Lane's End. She was bred by R.S. Evans.Graded stakes placed is already responsible for Grade III-placed Kokomotion (Quality Road).Zee Drop, in foal to Flightline, delivers $1 million to close out session 2 of #KeeNov! Consigned by @LanesEndFarms, purchased by Al Ruwais Stables. https://t.co/soMKpIoDnm— Keeneland Sales (@keenelandsales) November 4, 2026A half-sister to GSP The Reds (Tonalist), the Kentucky-bred mare is from the family of Grade I scorer Wickedly Perfect (Congrats).An $82,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Horse of Racing Age Sale purchase by Tom McCrocklin in 2019, Zee Drop, in foal to Medaglia d'Oro, brought $400,000 from Gage Hill and Lane's End at Keeneland November in 2021.On Wednesday, Al Ruwais purchased five head for a gross of $2.455 million. The operation's purchases also included Hip 444, Heavenly Scat (Scat Daddy), in foal to Munnings, that was bought for $600,000 from the Taylor Made consignment.Additionally, it landed Spun Special Hard Spun) (Hip 640) for $425,000; America's Tale (Gio Ponti) (Hip 313) for $250,000 and I'll Take the Cake (Nobiz Like Shobiz) (Hip 454) for $180,000.@CBossTDN Repole Kicks Off Book 2 with $650K Purchase ShandyLanding it's most expensive purchase through the first two days selling at Keeneland, Repole Stable paid $650,000 for unraced Shandy (Arrogate). Agent Alex Solis II handled the signing duties. The 7-year-old was the second co-highest priced mare of the session.Shandy (Hip 601) | KeenelandOffered as Hip 601, Shandy, in foal to Army Mule, was consigned by Claiborne Farm.“Mike [Repole] is a big Arrogate fan,” said Repole Stable's Danielle Bricker. “We're trying to build our broodmare band and just keep expanding it.”Shandy, already the dam of SW Tatters (Girvin), produced a Gunite filly last season and followed up with a Tiz the Law colt (Hip 600), who sold moments before his dam for $250,000.“We just think she'll really fit our program,” she added. “She comes from a really good family. The weanling colt was really nice that just sold prior to her. So, we think we got her for a very good price.”The chestnut mare is out of Sangrita (Mr. Greeley), a daughter of Alvear (Seattle Slew), herself a half-sister to Grade II winner and sire Dynaformer.Campaigned by Dorothy Matz and trained by husband Michael Matz, Sangrita won the GII Chilukki Stakes. As a broodmare, she produced Tequilita (Union Rags), also trained by Matz, who won a trio of graded stakes and placed in the GI Test Stakes.“We just want to keep expanding our broodmare band and get more into the breeding and commercial breeding as well,” Bricker explained. “Along with our racing program, which is strong, we're trying to get our broodmare and breeding program just as strong.”Alex Solis | KeenelandRepole purchased a Curlin filly out of Georgie's Angel (Bellamy Road)–a half-sister to MGISW Cave Rock (Arrogate)–for $450,000 in Book 1.In the Book 2 opener, the operation also secured Crown Queen (Hip 381) for $95,000 and Dancing Queen (GB) (Kingman) (Hip 565) for $75,000. Both fillies were consigned by Hidden Brook, agent.The former, in foal to the Repole-campaigned Fierceness, is a 15-year-old half-sister to champion Royal Delta (Empire Maker). The latter, hailing from that same illustrious family, is a 4-year-old daughter of Grade I winner Crown Queen (Smart Strike).“[The goal is] to produce anything with a focus on quality: speed, classic [distance], turf or sprinting.”She added, “We'll keep fillies that we like to continue breeding, but we always want colts to try to get to the Kentucky Derby. That is the ultimate goal for the stable.” @CBossTDN Green Lantern Strikes for Gun Runner MarePatrick Masson added Runrate (Gun Runner) (hip 583), a 4-year-old broodmare carrying her first foal by Nyquist, to the broodmare band at his family's Green Lantern Stables when signing the ticket at $650,000 Wednesday at Keeneland.“Essentially, we are trying to buy good, dirt pedigrees to add to our broodmare band,” Masson said. “We have a lot of young mares at home now. When we come to a sale like this, the plan is to add a couple of mares into that top end, the top 10-15% of our band. She fits into that group.”Patrick Masson | KeenelandThe mare is out of Time to Tap (Tapit), a full-sister to champion Untapable. She is a full-sister to stakes winner and graded-placed Dimatic and Grade I-placed Dreamlike.“Being in foal to Nyquist obviously helped the price out a bit,” Masson said. “She checked a lot of boxes for us. We hope she is going to be able to produce horses similar to her female family.”Green Lantern, which was represented in Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint by GII Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes winner Evanescence (Munnings), now has 27 mares in its broodmare band.“We like to race the fillies and sell the colts,” Masson said. “The colts we can't sell, we race ourselves.”Among those colts to join the Green Lantern racing stable is Endrush (Curlin), a son of Ender's Sister (A.P. Indy). The 2-year-old, who RNA'd for $325,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale, was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard' with his debut victory at Churchill in September.Also Wednesday, Green Lantern purchased De Regreso (Audible) (hip 388) for $325,000 and Sweet Aunt Rosie (Uncle Mo) (hip 687) for $160,000.Runrate was consigned by Lane's End, as agent for John Ferguson's Natalma, which purchased her last year for $200,000. @JessMartiniTDN St. Elias on the Sheets at Keeneland“It's been a big week,” St. Elias Stable's Monique Delk said with a big smile. Vinnie Viola's operation was represented over championship weekend by GI Breeders' Cup Mile winner Deterministic (Liam's Map), but Delk was back at Keeneland buying mares Wednesday. She went to $650,000 to acquire Shop Lifting (Into Mischief) (hip 611) from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment. The 5-year-old mare, a daughter of Grade I winner Miss Shop (Deputy Minister) and a half-sister to multiple graded winner Tin Type Gal (Tapit), is in foal to Not This Time.Shop Lifting (Hip 611) | Keeneland“She is a lovely physical and by Into Mischief,” Delk said of Shop Lifting. “We have a lot of stallions and we are looking for some quality mares to kind of fill those orders. So she fit the bill.”Also Wednesday, St. Elias purchased Conch Fried Rice (American Pharoah) (hip 379) for $250,000 from the Dixiana Farms consignment.Delk added a weanling to her November haul when purchasing a son of St. Elias's champion Up to the Mark (hip 718) for $350,000. Delk was underbidder on the colt's $1-million session-topping dam Zee Drop (Lemon Drop Kid), who proceeded the weanling into the ring Wednesday. @JessMartiniTDN Mallory Among Top Buyers, Sellers in Book 2 OpenerScott Mallory put in double duty in the initial Book 2 session, signing for the day's third co-leading mare in addition to consigning the top-priced weanling of the day.The third co-highest priced seller on Wednesday, stakes winner Blind Spot (Cross Traffic ) realized a $600,000 final bid from Mallory, acting as agent for Stoney Point Bloodstock.Consigned by Grovendale Sales, the 6-year-old mare is out SW and GSP My Flame In Me (Boundary).KeenelandOffered as Hip 352, the grey mare was sold in foal to Spendthrift's Into Mischief.“We liked her because we'd been looking for a mare in foal to Into Mischief or Not This Time. And we didn't get anything bought [on Tuesday],” he explained. “And [on Wednesday], we noticed her.”According to Mallory, the Stoney Point partnership is led by principal Bill Baxter.“Bill Baxter has been in the business for a while, but he's brought some [new] people in as well,” explained Mallory. “Bill does a lot of the background work and everything else, looking for the pedigrees etc. But what attracted her to us was her physical appearance. She has a really long leg, and really long back…So she had all those attributes and I know she's about Cross Traffic, which may not be known as a broodmare sire, but he's by the great Unbridled Song.”Blind Spot was initially led out unsold at $625,000, however, was sold moments after being led out of the ring.“Right after the fact,” said Mallory when asked when the transaction was concluded. “We were the bidders at $600,000 and she [RNA'd for] $625,000, so they came back and said, “Would you give the $600,000 again?” And we did.”According to Mallory, the Stoney Point group consists of 3-4 investors.“It's a small group,” he confirmed. “There are different partnerships within the group, but some of the new guys are in [Stoney Point] and they've been to the races and everything else. They wanted to have a mare that's on a little higher level.”He added, “They're very excited. They've been [in Lexington] with [the Fasig-Tipton's] Night of the Stars and they were at Keeneland all day Tuesday while we were trying to buy mares. They're excited. They just love it.”Putting on his consignor's cap yesterday, Mallory also counted among the top sellers of weanlings on Day 2 when garnering $485,000 for a daughter of Arabian Knight out of Knarsdale (Medaglia d'Oro) (Hip 477). Offered on behalf of Matt Dorman's Determined Stud, the filly is a half-sister to Grade I winner Seismic Beauty (Uncle Mo).Arabian Knight–Knarsdale filly (Hip 477) | Keeneland“It's a very good pedigree,” he said of Wednesday's top weanling. “[Knarsdale] has been very good to Mr. Dorman. We've sold quite a few nice horses out of that mare. She's a 100% winner producer.”Understandably high on the Hill 'n' Dale stallion, Mallory also sold a colt by Arabian Knight (Hip 112) for $600,000 in Book 1. The colt received a timely update when half-brother Bacio (Maclean's Music) won the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland last weekend.“The Arabian Knights are just phenomenal,” he said. “I've been ecstatic about them for a while and I've even talked to [Hill 'n' Dale's] Jes Sikura and [GM] Jared Burdine and told them how I thought that he would be the sire that everyone's going to be after. So far it looks like he is and we're just second day into the sale.”The winner of the GI Pacific Classic will stand for $30,000 in 2027.“They're very fast looking,” Mallory said of Arabian Knight's offspring. “They have a lot of hip to them and most of them have a really good eye on them and they're really kind. The filly today, had a lot of presence about her and the colt [on Tuesday], he did too. They just are good all around horses from what I've seen. And the ones that we've dealt with have all vetted fairly good and I attribute that some to the sire as well.”He added, “I think the pinhookers will be looking for them next year as yearlings and as they go on to 2-year-olds. I think the racehorse guys, especially [trainers] like Wesley Ward, will be looking for them.”On Wednesday, Mallory also sold Hip 460, a filly by Maxfield who brought $285,000, in addition to Introspection (Overanalyze) (Hip 461) in foal to Street Sense who drew $225,000. @CBossTDNThe post $1-Million Zee Drop Tops Keeneland November Book 2 Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.