Victory Gallop filly tops healthy Keeneland session

A bay filly by Victory Gallop highlighted the 13th session at the Keeneland

September Yearling Sale in Lexington, Kentucky, on Sunday. Cataloged as Hip No.

4671, the April 4 foal was consigned by Baccari Bloodstock, agent, and purchased

by WinStar Farm, agent, for $95,000. The Kentucky-bred was a successful pinhook,

as she was bought for $12,000 at Keeneland November.

The sales topper is the second registered foal out of the winning Mild

Maggie (Dehere), and hails from the same family as 1979 Hollywood Invitational H. (G1)

winner Johnny's Image (Stage Door Johnny).

A dark bay filly by Cape Town was one of two yearlings who brought the next highest price when Stanley Petter Jr., agent, went to $85,000. The January 26 foal was consigned by Eaton

Sales, agent for Overbrook Farm, as Hip 4727 and produced from the unraced Restless Cat

(Storm Cat), herself a full sister to Grade 1 winner and top sire Hennessy as

well as a half-sister to 1997 Ballerina H. (G1) vixen Pearl City (Carson City)

and multiple Grade 3 hero Shy Tom (Blushing Groom [Fr]). Other Grade/Group 1

stars hailing from this female line include champions Hold That Tiger (Storm

Cat) and Family

Style (State Dinner), Editor's Note (Forty Niner), Field Cat (*Herbager),

and Lost Kitty (Magesterial).

Also bringing the gavel down at $85,000 was a chestnut son of Van Nistelrooy,

consigned by Tym Mar Farms, agent, as Hip 4738. The March 12 foal was secured by Alice Cohn,

agent, and is out of the stakes-winning Sabina (Cox's Ridge), making the colt a

half-brother to stakes victress Write Lite (Majestic Light). The West Virginia-bred's second dam is multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Sabin (Lyphard), the

phenomenal mare who was victorious in 18 of 25 starts in her four-year career.

The numbers for the Sunday session showed significant improvement from the

comparable session of 2006. A total of 249 yearlings were bought for an

aggregate $3,664,200, a robust increase of 65.9 percent over last year's

corresponding session when 229 brought a total $2,208,700. The $14,716 average

jumped 52.6 percent over the $9,645 average recorded 12 months ago. The median

improved 38.5 percent, from $6,500 to $9,000.

So far for the sale, 3,384 yearlings have been purchased for $380,836,600, a

decline of 4.4 percent on last year's total of $398,325,500 paid for 3,376

horses. The $112,540 average dropped 4.6 percent on the 2006 average of

$117,987. However, the median remained constant at $50,000.

The sale continues Monday beginning at 10 a.m. (EDT).

For complete results, visit www.keeneland.com.