by Jessica Martini & Christina BossinakisLEXINGTON, KY- The Keeneland September Yearling Sale moved on from its select Book 1 section into the first of two Book 2 sessions Wednesday and, while the book may have changed, the story remained the same as the market continued to be red hot in Lexington.“It was a really solid, incredible day,” said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. “The good horses were bringing incredible prices. I think everybody was getting rewarded for the horses that people gravitated towards. As we compare with last year, we look at the trends–we are up this or that–but last year, we set the bar in the stratosphere. So now the fact that we are actually trending above that, we have to keep the relativity in place. We are still riding at a very high level in the market. You can see some frustration in the buyers because they had to really reach for the ones they wanted. And that's good. The breeders get well-rewarded.”For the session, 209 yearlings sold for $89,535,000 for an average of $428,397–up 10.47% from the corresponding session a year ago–and a median of $310,000, which dipped 4.62%.During last year's first Book 2 session, Keeneland sold 221 horses for a gross of $85,702,000, an average of $387,792, and a median of $325,000.For the complete Book 2 section in 2025, the cumulative average was $341,961 and the median was $275,000.From 377 yearlings catalogued to Wednesday's session, 308 were offered with 99 failing to meet their reserves for a buy-back rate of 32.14%. It was 31.15% at the same session a year ago.“We had nearly $90 million in trade through the ring today,” said Senior Director of Sales Operations Cormach Breathnach. “That's a colossal number for this first day of Book 2. Our gross is up, our average is up, each day and cumulatively. The median is just sort of a step behind where it was last year and in the context of it being a magnificent sale last year, we are just watching that with the slightly higher RNA rate as indicative that not everybody is getting exactly what they want out of the market. Most people are. But we are just going to do our best to keep it going through tomorrow, reassess on the dark day, and then we get into the rapids for Books 3 through 5b.”Fourteen horses sold for seven figures during Wednesday's session, with two hitting the $2-million threshold. Leading the way was a colt by Nyquist who sold for $2.25 million to Alex Lieblong from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.Sixty-two horses sold for $500,000 or more at Wednesday's session, compared to 44 at the same session a year ago.“It's crazy,” Kristian Villante of Legion Bloodstock, who made two of the day's seven-figure final bids, said of the market. “There are a ton of really nice colts here. Keeneland did a great job. Book 1 and Book 2 is really splitting hairs. It's really the same quality of horse.”“It's just been very strong and solid,” Spendthrift's Ned Toffey said after purchasing a $1.5-million son of the farm's Into Mischief. “Our appraisals have been a little all over the board, over on some and under on some. It's been really strong in spots, but very strong in general. I think the true indication will be what happens in Books 3 and 4. That's the true indication of the depth of the market, but the numbers are what they are. It's been very strong. My hope is that this carries on.”Taylor Made Sales Agency sold Wednesday's $2.25-million session topper.“I think it's a great horse sale,” said Duncan Taylor. “When you sell a lot of horses, there's ups and downs. The RNA rate for the whole sale is a little off, but the market's very strong. If you have a nice horse, you really get paid.”Douglas Scharbauer was the leading buyer of the session, with five yearlings purchased for $3,850,000. Gainesway was the session's leading consignor with 28 sold for $10,730,000.Keeneland September's Book 2 section concludes with a second session Thursday beginning at 11 a.m. Following a dark day Friday, the auction continues through Sept. 26 with sessions beginning at 10 a.m.$2.25-Million Nyquist Colt to LieblongAlex Lieblong, bidding alongside Nick Sallusto and John Kimmel, went to $2.25 million to acquire a colt by Nyquist (hip 642) Wednesday at Keeneland. The yearling was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency on behalf of breeders Fred Hertrich and John Fielding. He is out of Hot Cha (Bernardini), a half-sister to graded stakes winners Scalding (Nyquist) and Hot and Sultry (Speightster).Fred Hertrich & Alex Lieblong | Keeneland“He looked gorgeous,” Lieblong said of the colt. “He checked every box I ever saw. He was in a different class. Obviously, the price showed that and someone else thought that. Now if we can just get the check to clear, we'll be in good shape.”Lieblong and his wife JoAnn have owned racehorses since the 1990s and captured this year's GI Jaipur Stakes and G2 1351 Turf Sprint in Riyadh with their homebred Reef Runner (The Big Beast), but the Arkansas native said this was likely the most he had ever paid for a horse.Asked if he had hesitated at all during the bidding, Lieblong said with a laugh, “At 75, you don't hesitate as much as you used to.”Of plans for the colt, Lieblong said, “He will go down to Ocala with Nick and then we will figure out where he fits.”As Lieblong signed the ticket for the colt, Hertrich was accepting congratulations from Dan Pride of Darley, which stands Nyquist.“We thank Darley for the breeding. We were able to breed at $85,000 that year, so I asked Mr. Pride if I could have another breeding for $85,000 and he told me he didn't think so,” Hertrich said jokingly.Hertrich purchased Hot Cha for $40,000 at the 2019 Keeneland January sale.Walking through the hallway in the pavilion with Fielding after the sale, Hertrich said the $2.25-million price tag was the highest-priced yearling the longtime partners had ever sold.“It's really surreal,” Hertrich said of watching the colt sell. “John and I have been doing this for a long time. We've sold a lot of horses, a lot of Grade I winners, but at this point of his life, he's as good as any of them.”Hertrich said the team had sent the colt to the sales ring Wednesday with plenty of confidence.“We thought he would be as good as anything in the sale today,” he said. “He's as good a horse as we've raised on the farm and everyone who came to see him on the farm thought that. And certainly the market thought that. The top people in the business were bidding on him and interested in him. It's a tribute to our team at Watercress who raised the horse from the day he was born to today.” @JessMartiniTDN'Star of the Show:' $2-Million Into Mischief Colt to Legion“He was the star of the show,” Kristian Villante said after signing the $2-million ticket on a son of Into Mischief (hip 697) in the name of Legion Bloodstock Wednesday at Keeneland. It was the second seven-figure purchase of the day for Legion Bloodstock and the second seven-figure sale of the day for the colt's consignor, Chiquita and Jeff Reddoch's Stonehaven Steadings.The yearling is out of graded-placed Miss Costa Rica (Hit it a Bomb), who is a half-sister to graded winner Gas Station Sushi (Into Mischief).An Into Mischief colt delivers $2 million at #KeeSept! Property of Stonehaven Steadings, and purchased by @LegionBldstk. pic.twitter.com/DtwmG0R3gL— Keeneland Sales (@keenelandsales) September 16, 2026“Travis [Durr] was the first one to get to see him and he fell in love with him,” Villante said. “He brought the whole team over to see him and everyone fell in love. You never expect to pay $2 million for a horse, but we knew we would have to dig deep for him.”Of the new ownership of the colt, Villante said, “It's a developing partnership. There are three people right now who all want different pieces, but we will figure it out. Thankfully, we had enough clients to tell us to push that far.”Earlier in Wednesday's session, Legion Bloodstock paid $1.1 million for another colt by Into Mischief (hip 497) consigned by Hunter Valley Farm.Stonehaven Steadings purchased Miss Costa Rica, third in the 2020 GII Chandelier Stakes, for $140,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age sale. The 8-year-old mare, in foal to Into Mischief, RNA'd for $675,000 at the 2023 Keeneland November sale. Her 2024 foal died and hip 697 was her first registered foal. She was bred to Flightline this year.Earlier in the session, Stonehaven Steadings sold a colt by Flightline (hip 601) for $1.1 million to Flying Dutchmen. Out of Figure of Speech (Into Mischief), the colt is a half-brother to GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up Meaning (Gun Runner).“A day of days, I guess, as they say,” said Stonehaven Steading's Aidan O'Meara. “The classy ones just kind of rise. Every day, you saw them come out there, and come to a different level, and then as people get interested, you start getting excited.”Of the two seven-figure results, O'Meara said, “We were hoping and dreaming, and sometimes you're surprised, and sometimes it goes beyond your expectations.”He continued, “There's a lot of time and grind behind the scenes, and a special horse can make it all worthwhile. We're very humbled, and happy for all the team at home.”Killora-Bred Colt by Flightline Brings $1.85 Million From Winchell ThoroughbredsWith the action continuing to churn into Wednesday's session, a colt by Flightline out of a daughter of Grade I-winner Grace Hall (Empire Maker) realized a $1.85 million final bid from Winchell Thoroughbreds.Offered as Hip 487, the bay colt was consigned by his breeder, Killora Stud.“We were very reasonable expectations. We were hoping for the best, but that was way beyond ours,” said Killora's Aidan Jennings.Session topper this far is hip 487 at $1.85 million, a Flightline colt out of Grace Hall. He was consigned by @KilloraStud, purchased by Ron Winchell. pic.twitter.com/Ym8MvaDt53— Keeneland Sales (@keenelandsales) September 16, 2026The Apr. 18 foal is the first foal out of unraced Velvet Sky (Uncle Mo), a daughter of GI Spinaway Stakes winner and millionaire Grace Hall.“He was extremely popular,” said Hannah Jennings. “The best part about him is every show is the exact same. He never turned a hair and he was really, really a professional.”Velvet Sky was secured by the Jennings for $350,000 at Keeneland September in 2020. She is currently in foal to Into Mischief.“We just though it was a really great physical mating,” said Hannah, explaining the decision to breed their mare to Horse of the Year Flightline. “We bought this mare at Keeneland in Book 1 back in 2020. So, it's been a very long road to get here. So we're very excited for the future.”Asked what made the colt stand out since his arrival at Keeneland, Aidan explained, “His action is unbelievable. On the farm, he'd come out and take three steps and you'd think, 'whoa'. And then he'd be like a child. He'd be looking up at the birds on the tree. He was a bit of a character. So when he got here, he looked unbelievable. I think his action was amazing and he has a great physique. The money he made, obviously he had all the attributes to give him a chance to be very good.”Killora, not represented in Book 1, sold one of two additional yearlings on Wednesday–a filly by Uncle Mo (Hip 382) who brought $350,000 from New River Equine earlier in the session. —@CBossTDN$1.75-Million Nyquist ColtA colt by Nyquist (hip 415) was the first seven-figure yearling of Book 2 when selling for $1.75 million to the internet bid of Tagermeen Racing Wednesday morning at Keeneland. The bay was bred and consigned by Claiborne Farm.“He's been a great foal since birth,” Claiborne's Walker Hancock said of the yearling. “He's a great-moving colt, really strong and from a great family. I'm very happy for the new connections.”Hip 415 is out of the unraced Sibaaq (Bernardini), a full-sister to Grade I winner Takaful and a half to graded winner Haikal (Daaher).“You can never expect that kind of price, but I knew he was going to sell well,” Hancock said. “He's an unbelievable physical from a great family, so like the old cliche, when you check all the boxes, that's what happens.”Purchasing under the moniker RTM Racing, the Tagermeen Racing partnership acquired a $2.8-million session-topping colt by Gun Runner Monday and has also purchased $1-million colts by Not This Time and Gun Runner. The group partnered with Whisper Hill Farm to purchase a colt by Nyquist for $1.6 million. @JessMartiniTDNSon of Up to the Mark Wows with $1.65 Million Bid From AMOAMO's Kia Joorabchian had already come out firing during Tuesday's Book 1 closer when extending to $3.1 million for a son of Gun Runner (Hip 313), the second-highest priced yearling of the opening two sessions.By the time Wednesday's Book 2 opener rolled around, Joorabchian appeared ready for another round of battle when a striking colt by first season sire Up to the Mark stepped into the ring. A member of the Nursery Place consignment, Hip 646 was not easily won, however, but the AMO team, which included advisor Ben McElroy, proved relentless, ultimately securing the half-brother to Guineas hero Ruling Court (Justify) for $1.65 million.Alex Elliott | KeenelandTrainer Miguel Clement was also among those who advised on the purchase.“Kia locked on there, didn't he?” said AMO consultant Alex Elliott. “Obviously, he's a stunning horse and a brother to a [English 2000] Guineas winner. I go a long way back with the Clements. I used to work for [the late trainer] Christophe. So it's quite nice.”“It's come 360 [degrees] really, because Miguel rang me up and he said, “Listen, this is the horse that I really, really want to hone in on.” And I told Kia, Miguel really is a big fan of this horse. And we all were in fact. I didn't see him really making that or us getting him, but we're very pleased to get him.”The colt is a half-brother to Ruling Court, winner of last season's G1 Betfred 2000 Guineas. The Godolphin runner also won the Listed Jumeirah 2000 Guineas at Meydan as well as placing in two additional Group 1 tests in England during his sophomore season.A $150,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, Royal Court flourished into a €2.3 million Arqana May 2-year-old Breeze Up purchase in 2024. Ruling Court succumbed to complications from Laminitis in the summer of 2025.“[Ruling Court] was actually a breezer horse,” explained Elliott. “He went to 2-year-old sales in Arqana [France] and then he was a very good 2-year-old. But he got really good at three. He won in Dubai and then he won the Guineas. And unfortunately he's no longer with us.”Of the Guineas winner's yearling half-brother, he opined, “I'd see this horse sort of being a seven-furlong 2 year old and getting a mile plus at three, which is what his pedigree suggests.”The champion turf male in the U.S. in 2023, Not This Time's Up to the Mark won a trio of Grade Is ranging from a mile to 10 furlongs and was retired following a close-up second to Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the 12-furlong GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Santa Anita.“Up to the Mark was a magnificent looking horse,” said Elliott of the Lane's End stallion.AMO's latest purchase, bred by Nursery Place and Wilhite in Kentucky, is out of GSP Inchargeofme (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}), who is a full-sister to Group 1-placed Johann Strauss and a half to G1SP Magical (Camelot). Nursery Place bought the mare for $80,000 at Keeneland January in 2015.“If the horse is successful, then obviously we can see him being dual-purpose. Going to the UK to run, coming back here to run. He'll be trained here in America. He made all the sense to us,” said Joorabchian. —@CBossTDNFarfellow's Keeneland Success Continues with $1.55-Million Gun Runner Filly The Knelman family's Farfellow Farms, which captured the GI Jenny Wiley Stakes on the Keeneland racetrack in April, had success in the sales ring at Keeneland Wednesday when selling a filly by Gun Runner (hip 516) for $1.55 million. April Mayberry, bidding on behalf of Lee Searing's CRK Stables, signed the ticket on the dark bay yearling.“She's a really classy filly,” said Jak Knelman. “Coming over here, every day, she just got better. We're so appreciative of all the buyers coming out and looking at her. A lot of the credit goes to our team, Ian Partridge, our farm manager….I just think it's really exciting to do it as a team, and obviously it's incredible to do it with my dad and my mom.”The filly, who was bred on a foal share with Three Chimneys, is out of Another Broad (Include), who was purchased as a 4-year-old by Farfellow Farms for $340,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November sale and hit the board in three graded stakes in the family's colors.“Her mother is somebody we raced, and we've really done a nice job keeping a lot of our racemares as broodmares,” the family's patriach, Kip Knelman, said.The Knelmans have retained the mare's 2-year-old daughter Another Flight (Flightline), who was third in her debut at Ellis Park in August for trainer Brendan Walsh.“The Flightline filly could be anything,” Kip Knelman said. “The mare's just done a fantastic job for us.”Jak Knelman added, “This has been the biggest year we've ever had. We won a Grade I in the Jenny Wiley and then we came here and had the biggest sale we've ever had. We are very thankful to Three Chimneys who allowed us to foal share, to have faith in us to be partners and it paid off well for them and for us.”Mayberry said she saw a lot to like about the yearling.“She is so smooth, a really classy athlete,” she said. “And I know they raise a really nice horse there. She had everything I look for.”A trainer has not yet been picked out for the filly, according to Mayberry.“She is going to come to me and then I'm not sure where she will go after that,” Mayberry said. “We will break her at home and then decide where she will go from there.” @JessMartiniTDN$1.5-Million Into Mischief Colt Stars for Pine CreekBen Lengacher's Pine Creek LP, with a broodmare band of just three, had a career score at Keeneland Wednesday when selling a colt by Into Mischief (hip 460) for $1.5 million to the partnership of Spendthrift Farm and Epic Horses. The yearling was consigned by Nicky Drion and was born and raised at Drion's farm in Nicholasville.“We were quietly confident going in,” Drion said. “He is a late April foal and for a while he was a little behind the ball. But in the last month and a half, he really kicked in.”The bay colt is out of Grade I-placed Taste Like Candy (Candy Ride {Arg}) and is a half-brother to multiple stakes winner and graded-placed Valentine Candy (Justify).Drion also consigned Valentine Candy, who sold for $250,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton October sale.“Valentine Candy was a big horse going into the sale for sure,” Drion said. “This guy looks similar to Into Mischief, lovely markings, just a lovely coat on him.”Taste Like Candy was purchased for $350,000 at the 2016 Keeneland November sale. @JessMartiniTDNGodolphin Extends to $1.2 Million for Flightline ColtFreshman sire Flightline continued to show his might in Keeneland's sales ring when Hip 423, a colt out of GSW Skims (GB) (Frankel {GB}), brought a $1.2 million from Godolphin during Wednesday's Book 2 opener.The Mar. 1 foal is out of Skims (GB) (Frankel {GB}), winner of the GII Sands Point Stakes and placed in three additional graded stakes.Anthony Stroud | KeenelandThe 7-year-old mare is a half-sister Group 2 scorer War Decree (War Front) and SP Noble Quality (Elusive Quality). Third dam, Ticker Tape (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}), was a Grade I-winner in the U.S. and subsequently produced Japanese Group 3 winner Kana Tape (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}).“He's a lovely looking individual,” said Anthony Stroud, handling the bidding duties. “He's out of a Frankel mare [Skims] and from a very good farm and they breed a lot of very good horses and winners. He's one that we were keen to try and get.”According to Stroud, the colt will head to Europe.“He is very athletic, a beautiful individual,” Stroud added. “He's well balanced and a very nice horse. He's a lovely horse and we're very lucky to have him.”Consigned by Lane's End, the colt was bred by Summer Wind Equine. The operation was also responsible for a pair of seven-figure yearlings on Tuesday–a colt by Justify (Hip 341) who brought $1.95 million and a colt by Flightline (Hip 351) who sold for $2.6 million.Summer Wind purchased Skims for $1.8 million at the Keeneland November Sale in 2023.“He had a lot of eye appeal,” Lane's End's Allaire Ryan said. “He's a very well-made colt, extremely balanced. One of the most fluid movers you'll see on the sale ground.”She added, “He was very well received in the barn area, that exceeded our expectations for the colt. We knew he would do well. We just didn't know how well.”—@CBossTDNLegion Pushes to $1.1 Million for Into Mischief Colt Legion Bloodstock acting on behalf of Dream Big Racing landed the final bid of $1.1 million for Hip 497, a colt by Into Mischief.Consigned by Hunter Valley Farm, agent, the colt was bred by Qatar Racing.“We've been trying on a lot of the big colts, and we've found it very strong so far,” said Legion's Kristian Villante. “So very fortunate, he was high on our list. We actually thought he might bring a little bit more than he actually did, nice to be surprised that way for once!”He continued, “Can't say any more about Into Mischief. He's got an unbelievable pedigree, he's an unbelievable physical. He looks very much like the sire.”The son of stakes-winning and multiple group placed Wind Fire (Distorted Humor) is a half to stakes-placed Air Force Jet (GB) (Charm Spirit). This is the family of Grade I winner Majestic Warrior via GISW Dream Supreme.According to Villente, the bay colt will be sent to trainer Whit Beckman.“We showed him to Whit Beckman, and he fell in love with him.”In addition to Wednesday's seven-figure purchase, Legion purchased an additional three yearlings (including one post sale) for a day's spending of $1,660,000.“It's very, very healthy, I think at all price points,” said Villante in regard to the over market at Keeneland. “Through July, Saratoga was extremely strong, and it's very strong here as well, and I think it's going to continue all the way through. There's a lot of people who haven't bought horses yet.”—@CBossTDNScharbauer Buys Pair of Fillies for Seven Figures During Book 2 Opener After having purchased five yearlings in Book 1 for a total of $5,650,000, Valor Farm's Doug Scharbauer added five yearlings on Wednesday, including a pair of fillies that brought seven figures. He was the leading buyer of the Book 2 opening session.Douglas Scharbauer | KeenelandEarlier in the session, the Texas horseman secured Hip 537, a filly by Nyquist, for an even $1 million. Late in the day, Scharbauer returned to purchase a Not This Time filly (Hip 744) for $1.05 million.Bred by Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm, Scharbauer's initial seven-figure buy on Wednesday is out of unraced Blackheartedgypsy (Speightster), a half-sister to GI Kentucky Oaks heroine and $2.77-million earner Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil). The 7-year-old mare is also a half-sister to the graded-stakes duo of Star of Wonder (Uncle Mo) and Mojovation (Quality Road), in addition to Moonstone (Gemologist), who is responsible for GISP La Wally (Constitution).“I thought she was a very athletic filly,” said Whisper Hill's Todd Quast. “We got a chance to see her move at the farm. I was hoping we'd actually keep her and train her because I think she not only has the pedigree, but I'm more on the physical training standpoint, and she was all about that. I think other people saw that as well, and that's why we were rewarded.”The May 21 foal is the first foal out of the young mare. She has a Tiz the Law weanling and was bred back to Practical Joke.Whisper Hill purchased Blackheartedgyspy in foal to Authentic for $350,000 at Keeneland November in 2022. Pope also purchased granddam Shedaresthedevil in 2022, buying out her partners at a hammer-price of $5 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.“We had a little bit of hard luck with [Blackheartedgypsy],” explained Quast. “Her prior foals didn't make it. But this filly is beautiful. Mandy loved her. You always wonder what do you sell, and what do you buy? And it has to be a business. There has to be some to buy, some to sell. So we have a lot of this family.”Explaining the decision to part with the filly, he said, “This was a good time to bring her to the market and we were very well rewarded. I mean that was more than what we thought, but we're happy for them to have her.”Scharbauer's second seven-figure purchase of the day, out of the Super Saver mare Polly Freeze, was consigned by Taylor Made Sales. The 13-year-old mare previously produced GI Cigar Mile winner and millionaire Americanrevolution (Constitution) and MGSW Bold Journey (Hard Spun).A May 19 foal, she was bred by Fred W. Hertrich, III and John D. Fielding. Polly Freeze, in foal to Wicked Strong, was a $75,000 purchase by Hertrich at the Keeneland November in 2016.Through three days of selling, the Texas horseman secured 10 yearlings–including a quintet over $1 million–for gross expenditures of $9,500,000. —@CBossTDN The post ‘It’s Crazy;’ $2.25-Million Nyquist Colt on Top as Keeneland September Blazes into Book 2 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.