Tiffany Case, dam of Nitrogen — a finalist for the Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old filly of 2025 — and in foal to Not This Time, sold for $3.2 million to Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm to record the highest price of Monday’s opening day of Keeneland’s January Horses of All Ages Sale. The first session of the two-day auction also featured $2 million for Grade 1 winner Simply in Front and $800,000 for a yearling colt by Gun Runner.

The price for Tiffany Case is the most spent at the January Sale since 2019 when champion and broodmare prospect Abel Tasman commanded $5 million from M.V. Magnier. The Gun Runner colt sold today posted the highest price for a yearling at the auction in 11 years.

On Monday, Keeneland sold 319 horses through the ring for $31,706,400, an increase of 75.30% from the first session in 2025 when 200 horses brought $18,087,000. Average price of $99,393 rose 9.91% from $90,435 last year, while the median of $42,000 was 35.38% below $65,000 in 2025. Two horses sold this year for $1 million or more; last year’s two session toppers on Day 1 each brought $700,000.

“Today was a great day,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “Obviously, it’s a long day, but I think the structure of what we did in creating two big sessions sort of lent into building a momentum that carried through right to the end of the day. Seeing the last Gun Runner go for $575,000 right at the very end was just a reflection of a really positive, strong day across the board. 

“I think the mares were incredibly healthy from not just the top, but all the way through to a strong middle market,” Lacy continued. “I think that was incredibly encouraging. There was a very large crowd here — probably the biggest crowd we’ve seen at a January Sale for quite a while even though we had a couple of inclement days.”

“It’s a new sale, a near year, and the January Sale offers a lot of possibilities,” Keeneland Senior Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach said. “We were pleased with the catalog when it came together and pleased there were opportunities for people to buy foundation mares and to again reassess their plans to reinvest or sell horses following a strong 2025. Apart from just having so many people on the grounds, there’s international presence and a lot of online presence. The January Sale really is a sale that we know offers a lot to the market and to see it come to life like it did today is very encouraging for 2026.”

Tiffany Case, a 13-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo, also is the dam of stakes winner Love to Shop. She was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for a DJ Stable Graduate.

“(Her Gun Runner filly born July 23, 2024) is a beauty,” Taylor Made’s Frank Taylor said. “She’s going to run up here (on Northern Hemisphere time). She’ll be retained by the Greens (D.J. Stable), and they’ll race her. And, of course, they got Nitrogen, so they had two fillies out of the mare. That’s one of the reasons they decided to sell her. (Tiffany Case is) really a neat mare, she has an A foal. Every time she has a foal, it’s an A individual, so that was good money for her. Not This Time had 17 yearlings bring over a million (dollars) in 2025, and none of them were bred as good as this foal’s going to be bred. Hopefully they have luck with it.”

Taylor Made Sales Agency led all consignors Monday with sales of $7,602,500 for 44 horses.

Tiffany Case was the lone purchase for Whisper Hill, the session’s leading buyer.

In other sales, Greg Tramontin’s Greenwell Thoroughbreds paid $2 million for the 5-year-old Summer Front mare Simply in Front, who won Keeneland’s First Lady (G1) in October and earned nearly $2.9 million in her career. Consigned as a broodmare prospect by Richard G. Hogan, agent for Colebrook Farms, she is a three-quarter sister to both Grade 1 winner And One More Time and stakes winner Churchtown and is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Honor D Lady.

“We’re excited about getting this one,” said Tramontin, who said Simply in Front will be bred to Not This Time. “We bought (Hip) 91 (Closing Statement who is from) the same family — we got both of the horses we were after. Both will go to Greenwell Farms, which used to be Siena Farm of Anthony Manganero (that) I bought last year. We think (Simply in Front) is going to be a foundation mare for the farm.”

“It all happened fast for sure,” Hogan said about the action in the sales ring. “We were hoping (the price would be) around there. I told the new owner, ‘I hope she is as lucky for you as she was for us.’ 

“Our options (when she was retired) were to sell in January or get her in foal and sell her in November,” Hogan continued. “John (Brnjas of Colebrook Farms) is a racing guy, and he has had a wonderful run with her. She’s been great.”

Sold for $800,000 to Marc Gunderson’s MWG was the day’s most expensive yearling, a colt by Gun Runner out of Grade 2 winner Deceptive Vision, by A.P. Indy. From the family of Canadian champions Eye of the Sphynx and Eye of the Leopard, he was consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa, agent.

“I’ve got like four Gun Runners in training in Ocala right now prepping for the future,” Gunderson said. “The ones I like all look the same. They’re athletic and guess what? He looked the same, and I couldn’t turn it down.” 

“We had a lot of excitement (about him) coming into the sale,” Hill ‘n’ Dale Director of Bloodstock Jes Sikura said about the yearling. “We’re thrilled with the result. Marc Gunderson (is) finding a lot of nice horses. There’s a lot of things happening in that (colt’s) family. Happy with the result and excited to see what his plans are for the future.”

Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, also consigned stakes winner and Grade 2-placed Way to Be Marie, a 5-year-old daughter of Not This Time who sold to Gunderson’s MWG for $750,000. Out of Woman of the World, by Henrythenavigator, she is from the family of Grade 1 winners Golden Treat and Bet Twice.

Two horses sold for $625,000 each.

Just Soaring, a 5-year-old Justify mare from the family of leading sire Giant’s Causeway who is in foal to Practical Joke, sold for the amount to Hunter Valley Farm. Consigned by Four Star Sales, agent, she is out of Grade 3-placed winner Butterflies (IRE), by Galileo (IRE).

Glen Hill Farm paid $625,000 for an Into Mischief yearling colt who is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Cogburn. Out of In a Jif, by Saintly Look, he was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.

*************************

The January Sale’s second and final session begins Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET. The auction is livestreamed at Keeneland.com.