Keeneland April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale Offers Opportunities as Racing Season Shifts to Summer Locations

Seven horses are latest supplements to Sunday auction

Keeneland’s April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale on Sunday will kick off Kentucky Derby (G1) week in the Bluegrass. A total of 121 horses, including seven horses in the latest round of supplements, have been cataloged to the auction, which will begin at 4 p.m. ET and be livestreamed on Keeneland.com.

“We’ve been able to recruit some recent winners to the April Sale, and several horses have won during the Keeneland Spring Meet,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “There’s a lot of quality through the catalog, so it’s a very dynamic sale that has evolved nicely over the last couple of years.

“It’s a sector of the market we’ve leaned into because there’s a lot of growth and potential that allow people to capitalize on their investments that might have materialized into something productive,” Lacy continued. “This sale also allows partnerships and established owners to refresh their stock and buy something that looks exciting for the summer racing season.”

Keeneland will kick off the April Sale with a special event celebrating the season. From 2-4 p.m. in the Sales Pavilion, patrons will enjoy complimentary hospitality, including a lineup of specialty bloody marys, pub grub and snacks.

Click here for the enhanced digital catalog on Keeneland.com. The catalog, also available through the Equineline Sales Catalog iPad app, includes pedigrees, Equibase past performances and race videos, Daily Racing Form past performances, and Ragozin and Thoro-Graph figures. Consignors may upload photographs and walking videos.

Printed catalogs for the 80 horses initially cataloged in the sale and a supplemental catalog for the 34 initial supplements are available at Keeneland. A separate printing of the final seven supplements will be available just prior to the sale.

 Catalog has broad reach

Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach said the April Sale catalog has variety and “something for everybody.”

“Among the offerings are horses at various levels of the market in terms of valuation and their racing conditions,” Breathnach said. “A lot of people on the West Coast are trying to take advantage of ‘ship and win programs’, and more than 70 horses in this catalog, including the supplements, are eligible for those bonuses. We’re trying to have a broad reach with a fairly trim catalog and keep the quality high.”

The latest group of seven supplements to the April Sale includes:

  • Commissioner Dan, a 2-year-old colt by Commissioner, who began his career winning a Keeneland maiden special weight race April 26. Commissioner Dan, whose dam is winner Miss Livona, by Dixie Union, is consigned by Matejka Racing, agent.
  • Curlin Serenade, a 3-year-old filly by Curlin, who is coming off a maiden special weight victory at Sam Houston Race Park on March 25. Consigned by Grovendale Sales, agent, she is out of the winning Unbridled’s Song mare Conquest Serenade and from the family of Canadian Horse of the Year Fatal Bullet and Queen’s Plate winner Safe Conduct.
  • Linguistic, a 4-year-old daughter of Flatter, who was third, beaten a half-length, in a Keeneland allowance race on April 7. Out of Translator, a winning daughter of Posse, she is from the family of Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) winner and sire Tourist. Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, consigns Linguistic.
  • Mailman Money, a 6-year-old gelding by Goldencents who is coming off a March 24 allowance win at Fair Grounds. Hunter Valley Farm, agent, consigns Mailman Money, who is out of the winning Unbridled’s Song mare Running Debi.

Preparing for the April Sale

 Buyers who plan to attend the April Sale or participate remotely should register for an account and establish credit within the Keeneland Sales Portal.

Online and phone bidding available: Buyers may watch a real-time video view of the live sale and bid simultaneously from Keeneland’s online bidding platform accessible through their accounts in the Keeneland Sales Portal. Two options are available: a live, on-demand bid that occurs manually and a max bid, which allows the software to bid on your behalf up to a designated price.

The Keeneland Sales team is available to answer any questions about bidding options and the April Sale. Please contact Director of Sales Accounting Brent Hacker at 859 288-4231 or bhacker@keeneland.com.

April Sale media resources

 Keeneland provides photos and video for editorial use and archive press releases and other press materials via PhotoShelter digital asset management system. The following images will be available on PhotoShelter to facilitate coverage of the April Sale:

Photos: Sales scenic and images of top-priced horses and people of interest. Photos of highest-priced horses will be posted.

 Video: April Sale b-roll is available. Video of top-priced horses will be posted near the end of the sale.

Please credit as “Keeneland photo” or “Keeneland video.”

Access the site at keeneland.photoshelter.com

Login information:

Email: media@keeneland.com

Password: Keeneland1936!

Access April Sale assets through the following path: Invited Galleries / Media Gallery / 2023 / 2023 April HORA Sale

NOTE: PhotoShelter is not compatible with Safari browser.

At the conclusion of the April Sale, Keeneland will distribute a press release about the event. The press release will be posted on Keeneland.com.

 Since its first race meet more than 85 years ago, the Keeneland Association has devoted itself to the health and vibrancy of the Thoroughbred industry. The world’s largest Thoroughbred auction house, Keeneland conducts five sales a year, in January, April, September and November. Graduates of Keeneland sales dominate racing across the globe at every level. In April and October, Keeneland offers some of the highest caliber and richest Thoroughbred racing in the world. Keeneland hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in 2015, 2020 and 2022. Uniquely structured, Keeneland is a privately held company with a not-for-profit mission that returns its earnings to the industry and the community in the form of higher purses and millions of dollars donated in support of horse industry initiatives and charitable contributions for education, research, and health and human services throughout Central Kentucky. Keeneland also maintains the Keeneland Library, a world-renowned public research institution with the mission of preserving information about the Thoroughbred industry. To learn more, visit Keeneland.com.

For more information contact:
Amy Gregory at 859 361-3490
Amy Owens at 859 421-2566

  • Click here for the online April Sale catalog.
  • Click here for the barn list for horses in the sale. Information also is attached.
  • Visit April.Keeneland.com for more information.
  • Attention media: Information about Keeneland’s PhotoShelter site to retrieve video and images appears at the end of this release.