Thursday’s third of nine sessions of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale sold 201 horses for $38,483,000 to increase gross through-the-ring sales to $173,947,000 — 5.98% above the corresponding period last year. At $900,000, today’s top-priced horse was Royal Slipper, a 5-year-old winning daughter of Uncle Mo carrying a member of the first crop by champion Fierceness who sold to Mike Repole’s Repole Stable.

Repole raced Uncle Mo and bred and raced Fierceness. Both were champions at 2.

Consigned by Denali Stud, agent, Royal Slipper is a full sister to Grade 1 winner Bast and from the family of Grade 1 winners Fault and Juju’s Map; Grade 2 winners Mananan McLir and Fioretti; and Grade 3 winner No Mo Candy. Royal Slipper is out of the Arch mare Laffina.

Keeneland cumulatively has sold 563 horses through the ring at the November Breeding Stock Sale for an average of $308,964 — 12.20% above last year — while the median of $190,000 was unchanged. A total of 24 horses have sold for $1 million and more this year compared to 18 in 2025.

On Thursday, the second and final day of Book 2, the gross for horses sold through the ring decreased 12.59% from $44,027,000 at the third session last year. The average rose 3.93% from $184,213 to $191,458, while the median of $150,000 was 6.25% below $160,000 in 2025.

“It was interesting talking to the buyers out there,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “They said it was really difficult to buy the horses that they were following. They found very strong competition. On the flip side with the sellers, when you had something that hit the mark, it was great. If you didn’t, selling was tougher. But the day felt more energized.

“The buying bench was pretty deep,” Lacy continued. “Japanese buyers are still active, buying what they feel is necessary for their needs. The market is still very diverse, but again, everybody knows what they want, and they’re very specific.” 

“There is a little selectivity in the market,” Keeneland Senior Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach said. “When compared to last year, the mare market is very steady and very good. Last year’s sale was great, but regarding the weanling market, some of them are making the mark and some of them aren’t quite doing so.

“But there was good energy, and there were a lot of really good bidding wars that happened today through the day,” Breathnach added. “That just indicates people are, in some cases, landing on the same horse. There’s some really big wins, and there’s some people that say let’s fight another day, let’s come back in September.” 

In other sales Thursday,

Madame Secretary, a 4-year-old winning mare by Constitution in foal to Sierra Leone, sold to the Lyster Family’s Ashview Farm for $710,000. A half-sister to Grade 1 winner Nickname, dam of Group 3 winner Ides of March (GB), she was consigned by Eaton Sales, agent. Madame Secretary is out of stakes-placed winner Nina Fever, by Borrego, and from the family of Grade 3 winner Good Potential.

“I’ve been watching the family for a long time,” said Ashview’s Gray Lyster, “and this is a beautiful, beautiful (mare). We like Constitution, and we love Sierra Leone. She’s for a client. She’ll come back to Ashview Farm.”

“She was a beautiful filly with great depth of pedigree in foal to a freshman sire, Sierra Leone,” Eaton’s Pam Deegan said. “She was the full package, and she was really popular. (Her sale price) exceeded our expectations, but we thought she’d bring plenty of money.”

Two horses sold for $700,000 each.

Green Lantern Stables/Patrick Masson spent the amount on stakes winner Lithe Spirit, a 5-year-old daughter of Speightstown consigned by Gainesway, agent. Cataloged as a broodmare prospect, she is out of the winning Grade 3-placed mare Spooky Woods, by Ghostzapper, and from the family of Grade 1 winner and sire Arabian Knight.

“This one made our list because she was a stakes winner and graded stakes-placed,” Patrick Masson said. “We own her half-sister Spooky Road. She’s had a couple of foals that were very nice. (Lithe Spirit) has a dirt page underneath her — Arabian Night underneath her. (She) fits with what we want to do, and we’re very happy we got her.”

The session’s highest-priced weanling was a colt by Life Is Good from the family of Grade 1 winner and sire Pioneerof the Nile who brought $700,000 from Hartley/De Renzo, agent/Tom Durant. Consigned by Blandford Stud (Padraig Campion), agent, he is out of Mezinka, by Bodemeister. 

“We’ve actually had the whole family,” said Dean De Renzo, who said the weanling likely would be resold. “We had (the Grade 3-placed half-brother) Harlocap. We also had the 2-year-old filly (full sister Top Selection) that we sold for $750,000 and she’s doing great. It’s just a deep family, and he’s a beautiful colt. So we were happy to get him.”

Thursday’s leading buyer was MWG LLC, which acquired five horses for $1,735,000.

Taylor Made Sales Agency led consignors with sales of $6,045,000 for 30 horses.