(WKYT) – Day two of the September Yearling Sale at Keeneland started strong, with the first horse selling for $975,000.
Day one had the highest opening day sale since 2005, at more than $71 million, with 18 thoroughbreds selling for seven figures. That’s up from last year’s day one, which had 15 seven-figure sales.
The September sales at Keeneland are the largest thoroughbred auction in the world.
A prospective buyer from Ireland came to see a horse, being thorough about the thoroughbred. Bloodstock agent Marc Gunderson fielded his questions.
“These horses aren’t just bought on a whim, no one goes out and spends a million dollars on a single animal thinking wow, I think I want that horse, there’s a lot of homework done,” Gunderson said.
Among some buyers, there’s also a sense of strategy involved, with note-taking and the use of artificial intelligence.
“We’ve been putting in pedigrees, putting in the whole catalogue into an AI, spit out the best ones that could have Triple Crown pedigrees, that’s the first draft right there,” said longtime trainer Dale Romans.
Romans knows the right look for a horse.
“You want them to have a head, a good neck, good long leg, good back end, good butt on ‘em,” Romans said.
Keeneland officials say enthusiasm for the sport is picking up.
“We’ve seen kind of this influx of a lot of people come in, a lot of owners want to enter the sport, whether it be successful business people or celebrities or retired athletes,” said Gabby Gaudet, director of communications for Keeneland.
Over time, horse racing syndicates have allowed everyday people to have ownership.
“Jack the plumber could easily buy a small part of a syndicate and not only be a Derby winner, he’ll get invited to the Derby,” Gunderson said.
That’s the ultimate goal, but the name of the game is buying the right horse.
“So a lot of time you are splitting hairs and making million-dollar decisions on a little tweak here, a little tweak there, and at the end of the day you want to be the one that was right, there’s only one Kentucky Derby winner and that’s what we are all shooting for,” Romans said.
Keeneland officials say with the September sales, the fall meet in October and the Breeders’ Cup, many of those tied to the thoroughbred industry will stay in the Bluegrass area until November, contributing to the local economy.