Ducru, a 4-year-old daughter of Broken Vow in foal to Violence , was sold for US$300,000 to top the November 11 seventh session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.
During the session that closed out Book 4 of the sale that runs through November 16, Keeneland reported 256 horses sold for a total of US$7,733,100 for an average of US$30,207 and a median of US$18,000. The 68 horses that went unsold represented 21% of the total through the ring. There are no comparable figures from 2017, since this year's sale was reformatted.
Keeneland has reported 1,573 horses sold for gross receipts of US$172,893,000, an average of US$109,913 and US$52,000 median. The cumulative RNA rate is 25.9%. Through seven sessions a year ago, 1,464 head had averaged US$125,415 for US$183,607,400 and a median of US$62,000.
Consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency as Hip 2430, Ducru was purchased by Grandview, with bloodstock agent Jason Litt of Solis/Litt Bloodstock signing the sale ticket.
Litt said Ducru was purchased by a client who plans to breed the mare to multiple grade 1 winner Good Magic , the 2-year-old champion son of leading sire Curlin who enters stud in 2019 at Hill 'n' Dale Farms near Lexington.
"We have clients who have shares in Good Magic, so we bought her to breed to Good Magic," Litt explained. "She was a standout here. She's absolutely beautiful and from a very precocious family and we think it's a really perfect mating for him. He is a beautiful horse, and talented and all we need to do is to find something that won't get in his way. And she is the right type."
The dark bay or brown mare was produced from the stakes-placed Dixie Union mare Union City, the dam of grade 2 winner Unified . Union City was purchased by Eaton Sales for US$725,000 at last year's November sale while in foal to Quality Road . Ducru's second dam, the grade 2-placed Carson City mare City Sister, is the dam of grade 2 winner Dixie City and stakes winner Win the War.
Ducru had been purchased by Salusto & Albina for US$150,000 from the Lane's End consignment at this year's Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale.
The day's top weanling was a Kantharos colt consigned as Hip 2380 purchased in the name of Magnolia Farm for US$180,000 from Hunter Valley Farm, agent. The colt is the first foal from Cebu, an Include mare who won four starts and earned US$74,931. The mare is a half-sister to Neolithic , a US$1.2 million earner whose graded stakes placings include third-place finishes in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), Woodward Stakes (G1), and Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup (G1).
Cebu was sent through the ring one directly after her Kantharos colt as Hip 2381 from Hunter Valley Farm. The mare was an RNA on a final bid of US$30,000.
NB: Kantharos is the sire of now local horse, Hilly’s Halo
