Keeneland started even stronger and Gun Runner reigned supreme on day one

The opening session of the September Yearling Sale generated $71.77 million, surging 3.65% past the 2025 opening figures despite selling fewer horses. The marathon session produced 18 seven-figure yearlings—the highest total for an opening day since 2005—led by a son of Gun Runner who dropped the hammer at a session-topping $2.8 million

LEXINGTON, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).— The bar appeared dauntingly high following the avalanche of record-breaking figures set in 2025, yet Keeneland required just a single session to demonstrate that the market remains fully supercharged. The September Yearling Sale kicked off this Monday with a spectacular opening day, propelled by fierce bidding at the top end, 18 yearlings hammering for $1 million or more, and a dominant showing by Gun Runner, the premier stallion son of Argentine legend Candy Ride.

Gross receipts reached $71,770,000 for 97 yearlings sold, representing a 3.65% increase over the $69,240,000 generated by 106 hips during the opening session in 2025.

The upward trajectory proved even more pronounced across individual performance metrics. The average surged 13.27% to $739,897, while the median rose 16.28%, moving from $537,500 to $625,000.

Another key benchmark was established as 18 horses reached or exceeded the million-dollar threshold, compared to 15 during last year's opener—marking the highest total for a September Sale opening day since 2005.

“It was an extraordinary session. I can’t remember seeing the pavilion seats so packed since we sold the share in Flightline (Tapit) back in 2022,” observed Shannon Arvin, president and CEO of Keeneland.

The executive further highlighted the broad diversity of the buyer pool, which featured robust domestic and Japaneseparticipation alongside new high-level investors. Thirteen distinct consignors represented the top 14 lots, underscoring the deep strength across the grounds.

Yet one name echoed continuously throughout the pavilion: Gun Runner. The Three Chimneys stallion sired 7 of the 12 yearlings that brought $1.3 million or higher, including the two top-priced horses of the session.

Topping the sale was a colt by Gun Runner acquired by RTM Racing for $2.8 million from the consignment of Four Star Sales. The colt is out of the G3 winner Twenty Carat, by Into Mischief, tracing back to the family of Breeders’ Cup heroines Shared Account (Pleasantly Perfect) and Sharing (Speightstown).

Mahmud Mouni signed the ticket and acknowledged that RTM had only shortlisted the colt two days prior, though the final price far exceeded their initial estimates.

“Honestly, we didn't expect to go that high, but it's what the horse deserved. Our dream with him is the Kentucky Derby,” Mouni stated. The colt will join the barn of Chad Brown, who also conditions his full brother Bletchley.

Mouni offered an assessment that perfectly captured the afternoon's atmosphere: “The market is extremely hot. If you think you're going to buy one for a million, you end up paying two.”

The second-highest price was also claimed by a Gun Runner colt. M.V. Magnier and Peter Brant's White Birch Farm teamed up to drop the hammer at $2.3 million for a half-brother to multiple G1 winner Colonel Liam (Liam's Map), offered by Darby Dan Farm.

Magnier and White Birch finished as the session's leading buyers, investing $5.2 million across three yearlings.

Another pedigree that generated headlines was a Gun Runner half-brother to Triple Crown winner Justify. Ron Winchell, bidding for Winchell Thoroughbreds, went to $1.9 million to secure the colt consigned by Glennwood Farm.

He is out of Stage Magic, by Ghostzapper, the dam of the 2018 Triple Crown hero. Adding a layer of history to the transaction, Glennwood had sold Justify himself for a mere $500,000 in this very ring back in 2016.

“It's a mix of pride and a little regret having to sell a horse like this,” admitted Tanya Gunther.

Among other notable transactions, J.S. Company paid $2.1 million for a colt by Not This Time, a half-brother to G1 winner and sire Tapit Trice (Tapit). The same buyer shelled out $1.7 million for a colt from the second crop of Flightline, out of a half-sister to champion Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky).

Three yearlings fetched $1.5 million apiece: another son of Not This Time, half-brother to G1 winner Faiza (Girvin); a Gun Runner half-brother to multiple G1 winner Paradise Woods (Union Rags); and a filly from the final crop of Uncle Mo, who is a full sister to G2 winner Bishops Bay and a half-sister to G2 winner Catching Freedom(Constitution).

On the consignor ledger, Gainesway led all vendors, selling 19 head for a combined total of $12.75 million.

The September Sale has plenty of track left to cover, with Book 1 concluding its select run on Tuesday. However, the initial statement was loud and clear.

After 2025 delivered the highest-grossing Thoroughbred auction in history, Keeneland has launched forward on an upward trajectory once more. And as millions of dollars changed hands in Lexington, Gun Runner made it indisputably clear who ruled the ring on opening day.