Sept 25, 2023 – Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale is the global marketplace for Thoroughbred yearlings and is the world’s most important Thoroughbred sale. The September Sale stands apart from all other auctions owing to a critical mass of quality yearlings, the largest and most diverse buying bench in the world, and the proven success of its sales graduates at the highest levels of racing worldwide.
Running from September 11-23, this year’s sale catalogued 4,194 horses for a total of 12 sessions. When the last hammer fell, 2,754 yearlings had changed hands to the tune of $394,127,900: the third highest total in sale history.
On September 19th, Canuck Racing Club entered into the fray with the winning bid for Hip 3547, a registered ON-bred bay filly sired by Point of Entry out of Silent Sister. Sired by Dynaformer, KY-bred Point of Entry was a Black-type winner of $2,494,490 in 18 starts (9-3-1) trained by American Hall of Fame thoroughbred trainer Claude R. “Shug” McGaughey III. Point of Entry’s stakes wins included the 2013 Manhattan Stakes (G1 at Belmont Park), 2013 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (G1), 2012 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1 at Belmont), 2012 Sword Dancer Stakes (G1 at Saratoga), 2012 Man O’ War Stakes (G1 at Belmont), and the 2012 Elkhorn (G2 at Keeneland). In 2022, he was the #1 stallion by black type and graded stakes wins in Canada.
On September 23rd, top agent and Canuck Racing Club managing partner Donato propelled the club back into the action with Hip 4037, a powerful looking dark bay colt by Silent Name out of Holy Cargo. When the hammer dropped after some fiercely competitive bidding, the powerful colt and his $185,000 price tag was owned in equal parts by Canuck Racing Club, X-Men Racing, Madaket Stables, and SF Racing. The amount set the record as the highest price ever paid for a yearling on the final day in the history of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
The colt’s sire Silent Name (JPN) is one of Canada’s most accomplished sires and the nation’s Champion Sire for the past three years. In 2022, he was Canada’s #1 sire by black type performers (13) and black type winners (5). Lifetime, 69.7% of his starting progeny are winners and he has sired 593 foals, 452 runners, 315 winners, and 81 stakes horses from 12 crops of racing age.
In 2023, Canuck Racing Club has now added to its racing stable a total of seven promising thoroughbreds that were foaled in 2022.