World Record Price Paid For Broodmare At Keeneland

The late English sportsman Robert Sangster set records at Keeneland for many years as a buyer, paying a world record $13.l million in partnership for Seattle Dancer at the 1985 July Selected Yearling Sale.

Monday at Keeneland, a five-year-old daughter of Sadler’s Wells from Sangster’s Swettenham Stud dispersal brought a world record price for a broodmare--$10.5 million--during the first session of the November Breeding Stock Sale.

John Ferguson on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai outbid Coolmore to buy Playful Act, an Irish-bred mare who won the Group 1 Meon Valley Stud Mile and two Group 2 stakes during her racing career. The young mare was not pregnant.

“The record sale of Playful Act is a fitting tribute to Robert Sangster and his family for everything they have done here at Keeneland,” said Keeneland’s director of sales Geoffrey Russell.

The price topped the previous record for a broodmare of $9.358 million paid for Magical Romance in England last year. It was the third highest price ever paid for a horse at Keeneland, topped by the $13.1 million for Seattle Dancer and $11.7 million paid for a son of Kingmambo at the 2006 September Yearling Sale.

“She was an outstanding filly,” said Ferguson after the long bidding duel. “From a European standpoint, she was an outstanding racehorse and Sadler’s Wells is a proven broodmare sire.”

Playful Act is out of Group 3 stakes winner Magnificient Style, making her a full sister to Group 2 stakes winner Percussionist and a half-sister to three other stakes winners including Group 2 victor Echoes in Eternity.

“This was a mare that Sheikh Mohammed was determined to have, especially coming from the consignment of Robert Sangster. I tip my hat to him for having the determination to go after her.”

John Sikura’s Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency sold Playful Act as agent for Swettenham. “It was a remarkable sale,” he said. “It’s remarkable what happens when two teams (Darley and Coolmore) go at it. It was a test of wills. They got a fantastic mare.”

Twenty-eight horses brought $1 million or more--a record for a single session at any Keeneland sale. The previous record for a session in November was 24 during the second session of the 2000 sale.

The gross sales--$109,064,000--also was a single session record for a Keeneland sale and was up 30.2 percent from $83,795,000 a year ago. The previous record was $102,450,000 for the November 6 session of the 2000 November Sale.

“Today’s session was unprecedented,” said Russell. “We knew going in that we had a good catalogue with tremendous international appeal, yet we were still surprised at the number of million-dollar horses.”

Keeneland sold 194 horses Monday for an average of $562,186 and a median of $272,500. During the comparable session last year, 164 horses averaged $510,945. The median was $297,500.

Shadwell Farm LLC paid the second highest price of the day, $4.5 million, for Spun Sugar, a multiple Grade 1 stakes winner of $929,171 who is pregnant to A.P. Indy.

Hidden Brook, as agent for Adena Springs, sold Spun Sugar, a five-year-old by Awesome Again out of stakes winner Irish Cherry by Irish Open.

Source: www.horseraceinsider.com