Payson buys top two as Keeneland January Sale commences

A newly turned yearling colt by leading sire War Front sold to Cromwell

Bloodstock for $450,000 an hour after the start of the session.

Greenfield Farm, agent, consigned the colt out of the Unbridled's Song mare

Exogenetic. He is a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Super Ninety Nine and stakes

winner Elusive Horizon. Exogenetic is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Exogenous.

Gatewood Bell of Cromwell Bloodstock said he bought the colt for an

undisclosed client.

"(He's a) War Front (with a) lovely profile and he's going to grow into a

nice horse," Bell said. "(He's a) May foal, nice walk to him. I love May foals.

Usually you get a little discount on them, but I don't think we did on this one.

Time will tell."

The co-high-selling weanling at $450,000 was the Arch filly out of SEEKING

ATLANTIS, by Seeking the Gold, also bought by Payson. Consigned by Denali Stud,

agent for the Part Dispersal of the Estate of Sarah J. Leigh, she is a

half-sister to stakes-placed winner Seeking Her Glory. Her second dam is Grade 3

winner Atlantic Ocean.

"I raced against Gerald Leigh for years and I really wanted to have one of

his families," said Payson, referring to Sarah Leigh's father. "I kept going (on

the bidding). I was a nervous wreck. She'll go to Stone Farm to Arthur Hancock

to grow up. I knew the (filly's) family and that's what I liked about her. I

have four broodmares, but they're all the same bloodlines and I needed some

diversification."

Seeking Atlantis herself brought $300,000 from Castleton Lyons on Monday.

PARIS BIKINI, a four-year-old half-sister to Grade 3 winner America, sold as

a racing or broodmare prospect to WinStar Farm for $425,000. Bluewater Sales,

agent, consigned Paris Bikini, a daughter of Bernardini out of the Fasliyev mare

Lacadena. Her second dam, Butterfly Blue, is a half-sister to Broodmare of the

Year Better Than Honour.

"Beautiful mare," WinStar General Manager David Hanley said. "Good price for

her. Big family; half-sister to America. She's full of quality so we're very

happy. (The plan is to) breed out of her. She fits all of our good horses."

Selling to Castleton Lyons for $350,000, the session's highest-priced

broodmare was MY LIMIT, dam of recent La Brea (G1) winner Birdatthewire. Bill

Murphy, agent, consigned My Limit, a five-year-old daughter of Wagon Limit in

foal to Giant's Causeway.

"She's in foal to Giant's Causeway," Jamie Frost, Castleton Lyon's equine

manager, said. "It's exciting, you know. I thought it was a good price."

Business was up across the board at the conclusion of trading Monday, when

179 horses brought $13,560,700. That was a 7.6 percent rise over the

corresponding session last year when 204 horses grossed $12,607,200. The session

average rose 22.6 percent, from $61,800 to $75,758, while the median was up 14.3

percent, from $35,000 to $45,000.

The sale continues daily through Friday with sessions beginning at 10 a.m.

(EST). The sale is streamed live on keeneland.com.