'Quality' in Demand During Second Session of Kentucky Fall Yearlings

Quality Road sired the top colt and filly during the second session of the 2020 Kentucky October Yearlings sale, held Tuesday in Lexington, KY.

A Quality Road half-brother to current Grade 1 winning juvenile Gretzky the Great topped the session when sold for $560,000 to Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners (video). Offered as Hip 498 by Anderson Farms, agent, the bay colt is out of the multiple stakes placed Bernardini mare Pearl Turn. The purchase marks a return to the source for Eclipse, which owns runaway Summer S. (G1) winner Gretzky the Great – a graduate of last year's Kentucky October Yearlings sale – in partnership with Gary Barber. Both Hip 498 and Gretzky the Great were bred in Ontario by Anderson Farms.

The session's top filly was a daughter of Quality Road offered as Hip 389, the first horse through the ring on Tuesday. Knights Bloodstock purchased the bay filly for $230,000 from the consignment of Claiborne Farm, agent. The filly is the first foal out of the stakes placed Sky Mesa mare Moonlight Sky, a half-sister to Eclipse Champion Abel Tasman and a full sister to Dogwood S. (G3) winner Sky Girl. Hip 389 was bred in Kentucky by China Horse Club International.

Hip 680, a colt by the late Pioneerof the Nile, also brought $230,000 during the session. Bruce N. Levine purchased the bay colt out of Savvy Supreme, a graded stakes winning full sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Commentator, from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. Hip 680 was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm & JSM Equine.

During Tuesday's session, 241 yearlings sold for $7,996,700, good for an average of $33,181. The session median was $15,000. Through two days of selling, 489 yearlings have changed hands for a total of $16,390,500. The running average is $33,518.

The Kentucky October Yearlings sale resumes Wednesday, October 28 at 10 AM.

Results are available online.