LEXINGTON, KY – The Keeneland September Yearling Sale continued to produce seven-figure yearlings, with a colt by Nyquist topping Sunday's session when selling for $1.2 million, as the auction's Book 3 section concluded with a day of solid trade and increases over last year's corresponding section.Through the two Book 3 sessions, 517 yearlings sold through the ring for a gross of $111,924,000. The section's average of $216,487 was up 7.28% from last year's corresponding figure, while the median of $175,000 was up 9.38% from a year ago.During the Book 3 section in 2025, 545 horses sold through the ring for a gross of $109,983,000. The average was $201,804 and the median was $160,000.Thirty horses sold for $500,000 or over during the two sessions last year. That figure increased to 33 this year.“I thought today was good,” said Mark Taylor of Taylor Made Sales Agency, which is the auction's leading consignor through six sessions. “Our clearance rate was healthy today–I think we had about a 21% buy-back rate. We didn't have any really explosive, break-out horses, but it was very solid trade. And as long as you were setting reasonable reserves and your horse vetted, you were going to get your horse sold. I was encouraged today to see the strength continue. I've seen a ton of new faces in here that I had not seen–I had not sold since Thursday–so I saw just lots and lots of new people here and it seems like they have money to spend and they are just getting started. So I expect Book 4 to continue on and to be really good.”At the auction's halfway mark, the buy-back rate stands at 28.79%, compared to 26.30% at the same point a year ago.“It's a good vibrant market,” said Tom Ryan, who purchased Sunday's $1.2-million session topper on behalf of the Front Row Club, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stable partnership. “It's a good market for breeders. It's an overall good indicator of the health of the market. I'd like to see a higher clearance rate, but I think that's all starting to fall into line as well. The clearance rate is improving as the days go on.”The competition continued right through to the end of Sunday's session.“It's the same all week,” said WinStar Farm's Gerry Duffy, who bid $900,000 to acquire a colt by Maxfield just three hips from the end of the session. “For the ones you really like, the same folks tend to show up. And they bring plenty. That's the game. That's the state of the market and, on the ones you like and you really want, you hate to not be able to get them.”Duffy expects demand to continue as the September sale enters its second week with the start of the Book 4 Monday.“I think there are still a lot of people unable to buy horses and getting pushed back,” he said. “I think there are still a lot of people here looking to buy horses.”The Keeneland September Yearling sale continues through Saturday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.A Stallion Everyone Respects': Nyquist Colt Brings $1.2 MillionBook 3 added a fifth seven-figure yearling result Sunday when the stallion-making partnership of Front Row Club, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables purchased a colt by Nyquist (hip 1686) for $1.2 million.“He's by a stallion everybody now respects in Nyquist,” said Front Row Club's Tom Ryan. “So you're giving yourself a chance of creating a potential Kentucky sire down the road if he lives up to our expectations.”Hip 1686 was consigned by Four Star Sales on behalf of his breeder, Three Chimneys Farm. He is out of multiple stakes winner Alexandria (Constitution), who was purchased by Three Chimneys for $325,000 as a 3-year-old at the 2021 Keeneland November sale.“He was a super nice colt and we always liked him on the farm,” said Three Chimneys' Doug Cauthen. “He came in here and showed so well. He just presented himself well and he had a lot of class.”The result was the second Book 3 million-dollar yearling for Three Chimneys, which sold the $1.5-million session-topping son of Not This Time Saturday.“He did exceed our expectations,” Cauthen said of that result. “But he was a gorgeous horse by a really good sire.”Ryan said he had no problem buying out of later books at the 12-day auction.“It doesn't matter what book they come out if they are fast enough,” Ryan said. “It's a matter of having the team to identify them. I remember we bought the Kentucky Derby winner [Authentic] as hip 2616 many years ago. We are long way away from that still.”Cauthen said he had no problem selling horses as the auction approached its one-week mark.“I think those horses were later developing, they improved because they matured,” he said of the two million-dollar yearlings. “They needed to be in Book 3 when they were evaluated by Keeneland. They placed them well. We talked about it. They agreed, we agreed, the consignors agreed. If you have a nice horse in Book 3, there is always money left. “If [the major buyers] aren't staying, their advisors are and they are on the phone. Everybody is so connected.”Cauthen continued, “I think placement matters a lot. I think it's great to be a big fish later, but big fishes early sell well, too. People find good horses.” Tom Ryan and Donato Lanni | Keeneland'Victim of Our Own Success': Syndicate That Started It All Finds Plenty of CompetitionIt was back at the 2018 Keeneland September when the partnership of SF Bloodstock and Starlight Racing first made its presence known as a partnership in search of future stallion prospects. The group, largely an anomaly at that auction, purchased 19 colts for $9.3 million. Fast forward eight years and with the newly launched Front Row Club replacing SF Racing, and Madaket joining the ticket purchasers, the partners have plenty of competition these days. Flying somewhat under the radar before purchasing the $1.2-million session topper at Keeneland Sunday, the partners have steadily built up a solid roster of new yearlings. Through six sessions, they have purchased 18 yearlings for $10,165,000.“I've never found it as hard to spend money at a horse sale,” said Front Row Club's Tom Ryan, who helped spearhead the partnership under the SF banner eight years ago. “But that's ok. We will get to our quota.”Asked what that target number was, Ryan said, “The quota is when we stop finding good horses. It's a very strong market underpinned by a lot of syndicates that have great teams of people putting it all together.”Among those partnerships at Keeneland this week in pursuit of future stallions are the St. Elias Stables, West Point Thoroughbreds, Lane's End Racing, and Belladonna Racing syndicate which has acquired 18 yearlings for $15,625,000.Coolmore's M.V. Magnier and Peter Brant's White Birch Farm teamed up to purchase five yearlings–including the $3.7-million sale topper–for $10,150,000.“We are a little bit a victim of our own success in this situation,” Ryan said with a chuckle when the similarities to his own model were point out.Ryan and company led early returns at Sunday's sixth session of the Keeneland September sale when going to $625,000 to acquire a colt from the first crop of multiple Grade I winner Taiba (Gun Runner) (hip 1624). The chestnut was consigned by Grovendale Sales. Out of Sunriser (City Zip), he was bred by George Sharp and was purchased for $110,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.“I see Gun Runner,” Ryan said of the colt's appeal. “I think Gun Runner is such a potent influence on the breed at the moment it's hard to ignore anything. We bought a couple of Early Votings (Gun Runner) last night and we are happy to buy a Taiba today. So we are all in.”Despite the added competition, Ryan said the team's plan remains the same as it was eight years ago.“Same approach,” he said. “Our model works and there is no need to reinvent the wheel here. The reality is the ceiling is getting higher all the time.” A Lot to Like: $900k Maxfield Colt a Late HighlightWith just a few minutes left, Book 3 of the Keeneland September sale had one last firework to explode, with a colt by Maxfield (hip 1969) bringing a final bid of $900,000 from WinStar's Gerry Duffy after an extended bidding war. The yearling, purchased by the partnership of CHC, Inc., WinStar's Maverick Racing, and Light Post Ventures, was consigned by Four Star Sales.“Just everything, really,” Duffy said of the colt's appeal. “Looking at him in the back walking ring, he was such an easy mover. And Maxfield is showing us that he can hopefully be a very good stallion. So there was a lot to like about him.”The colt is out of Posse Needed (Caleb's Posse) and was bred by Richard and Connie Snyder's Cove Springs, which purchased the mare for $35,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November sale. 'Hell of a Sale:' $825k Nyquist Colt a Bright Spot for Hancock Family“I just told my family I could hear my dad saying, 'That was a hell of a sale,'” Lynn Hancock said while holding back tears after watching the family's colt by Nyquist (hip 1773) sell for $825,000 just days after her father, Stone Farm founder Arthur Hancock passed away. Pin Oak Stud made the winning bid Sunday.Arthur Hancock purchased hip 1773's granddam, Especially (Mr. Prospector), for $350,000 at the 2009 Keeneland November sale. While the yearling's dam Dilly (First Samurai) failed to make it to the races, she has produced two graded-placed runners and a third with stakes-placing.“The mare has been so good to us,” Lynn Hancock said. “She's a little First Samurai mare and she's thrown runners, so we thought we would upgrade her. And we were rewarded.”Of the mare's yearling, Hancock said, “He prepped out great. He's almost a June baby, so he's a big baby. He showed himself great up here. He's a straightforward, good-minded colt. Obviously, Nyquist is on fire, so as we watched those results roll in, we were hoping we would hit a big one. We didn't expect that, but we are thrilled with that result.”Pin Oak Stud returned later in the session to acquire a colt by Liam's Map (hip 1875) for $800,000 from the Trackside Farm consignment. The Bernhard family's operation purchased five yearlings Sunday for $2,045,000. Through the first week of the auction, Pin Oak has purchased 11 yearlings for $5,065,000. Leading the way is a $1.3-million son of Gun Runner (hip 67). Nothing But Net..Finn Bloodstock Strikes Again with Gunite ColtThe Finn Bloodstock pinhooking partnership spearheaded by Aidan and Hannah Jennings of Killora Stud added another score to its ever-expanding resume when selling a colt from the first crop of Gunite (hip 1719) to Gold Square for $700,000 Sunday at Keeneland. The colt had been purchased for $170,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.“He was a beautiful colt as a foal,” said Hannah Jennings. “He was really straightforward, a great mover, with good balance.”Of Sunday's result, Jennings said, “He has just gotten to be a bigger, stronger version of himself. He was a nice horse, but I also think it's a very strong market that we are selling into. And the stars aligned.”Hip 1719 is the second-highest priced yearling by Gunite so far at the Keeneland September sale. The stallion, a son of the uber successful Gun Runner who stands at Ashford for $25,000, has had 37 yearlings sell for an average of $239,054. Leading the group is a colt (Hip 520) who sold for $725,000 to CHC, Inc., Maverick Racing and Light Post Ventures.“They are really beautiful horses,” Jennings said of the stallion's first crop of foals. “I think [hip 1719] is very similar to the stallion himself. As far as the first crop goes, he'd be one that we'd be excited about.”Later in the session, Finn Bloodstock sold a filly by Munnings (hip 1926) for $375,000 to Caroline Stables. The yearling had been purchased for $90,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale.Aidan and Hannah Jennings's Killora Stud hit a homerun with its breeding operation in Book 2 when selling a colt by Flightline (hip 487) for $1.85 million.“It's been incredible,” Jennings said of the farm's success so far at the 12-day auction. “We have had a few good results and we are hoping to have some more.” The post ‘Vibrant Market’: $1.2-Million Nyquist Colt Tops Book 3 Finale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.