Buy TicketsFirst auction with Paddock Building in use
Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale, which annually attracts leading horsemen from around the world to shop the cream of the North American Thoroughbred foal crop, begins Monday, Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. ET. A total of 4,642 racing prospects have been cataloged to the 83rd edition of the auction, which runs 12 sessions through Saturday, Sept. 26.
In 2025, the September Sale was the world’s highest-grossing Thoroughbred auction in history with more than $531.7 million in sales for 3,078 horses. The number of million-dollar horses (56), average price ($172,755) and median price ($80,000) all set records for the sale.
“In September of last year, the industry reached a milestone that only a few years ago would have seemed unimaginable,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “Buyers from all over the United States and around the world gathered here to propel the auction to its record level, reaffirming the enduring strength of the marketplace and the confidence placed in the horses offered here.
“The success of the 2025 September Sale reflected a global marketplace that continues to believe in quality at every level of the sale. It demonstrated that buyers will travel great distances for exceptional horses and an exceptional experience. That trust is something Keeneland never takes for granted.”
Keeneland will livestream the September Sale at Keeneland.com. Online and phone bidding will be available.
Paddock Building debuts for sale
For the first time, the Paddock Building located just steps west of the Sales Pavilion will be in use by Keeneland sales clients. The three-story structure, which opened to racing fans during the Spring Meet in April, is part of the largest capital construction in Keeneland history.
Those attending the September Sale as welcome to visit the 1936 Room on the first floor of the Paddock Building for light food and beverage options in a casual lounge setting.
The schedule of the 1936 Room:
- Preview days (Sept. 11-13): coffee (7 a.m. to 4 p.m.); food and bar (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
- Sale days: coffee (7 a.m. to end of session); food and bar (11 a.m. to end of session).
In addition, a full-service lunch will be available in the Sycamore Room — also on the first floor of the Paddock Building — from Friday, Sept. 11 through Sunday, Sept. 20. Reservations are required and can be made at https://keeneland.resos.com/booking. There is a two-hour maximum.
“We are pleased to debut several spaces in the new Paddock Building,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “Every year, we work to expand Keeneland’s hospitality options across the grounds and boost the experience for people who are here on business to buy horses.”
The entire Keeneland campus will continue to offer a variety of food and beverage options from areas inside the Sales Pavilion along with food and coffee trucks in the barn area.
Additional activities to educate and excite the Lexington community about the importance of the September Sale Kentucky include Behind-the-Scenes Sales Experience Tours, part of the official Keeneland Tours program. These guided, in-depth tours are available on selected days of the auction from 9-10:30 a.m. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
Catalog updates reflect recent success
Alumni of the September Sale have won 331 stakes around the world this year — including 35 Grade 1 events — through Sept. 10. Horses include Grade 1-winning juveniles Hughes (Del Mar Futurity), Miss Monica (Del Mar Debutante) and Summer Starlet (Spinaway). Additionally, over the first weekend of September, sales graduates captured stakes in North America from coast to coast.
These and other recent race results have further strengthened the September Sale, which has cataloged siblings to recent graded stakes winners. They include:
- Half-sister to Arlington Million (G1) winner Burnham Square (Hip 304)
- Half-sister to Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) winner Counting Stars (Hip 1114)
- Half-sister to H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1) winner Englishman (Hip 271)
- Half-brother to Forego (G1) winner Hymn (Hip 1156)
- Half-brother to Del Mar Futurity (G1) winner Hughes (Hip 292)
- Half-brother to Never Say Die Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint winner (G1) winner In Our Time (Hip 1459)
- Half-sister to Saratoga Oaks (G2) and Blackwood Dueling Grounds Oaks Invitational (G3) winner Kentucky Belle (Hip 572)
- Half-sister to Hopeful (G1) winner The Good Life (Hip 1807)
- Half-sister to Music City (G2) winner Somerset West (Hip 169)
- Half-brother to Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf (G2) winner Bless the Broken (Hip 826)
- Half-sister to Singspiel (G3) winner Tomasello
Schedule and format
For the sixth consecutive year, Books 1 and 2 during the first four days of the September Sale have cataloged more than 1,100 yearlings representing the auction’s highest concentration of sire power, pedigree and physical quality. This format allows major domestic and international buyers to inspect the largest number of exceptional horses possible before the Dark Day on Friday, Sept. 18, when no sale will be held.
The September Sale will resume Saturday, Sept. 19 and continue through Sept. 26. The final four sessions fill the two-part Book 5. Yearlings in Book 5A will sell Wednesday, Sept. 23 and Thursday, Sept. 24. Horses in Book 5B will sell Friday, Sept. 25 and Saturday, Sept. 26.
Week 1
Book 1 – Monday-Tuesday, Sept. 14-15. Sessions begin at 1 p.m. ET. (Monday’s catalog has 184 horses. Tuesday’s catalog has 188 horses.)
Book 2 – Wednesday-Thursday, Sept. 16-17. Sessions begin at 11 a.m. (377 horses/379 horses)
Dark Day – Friday, Sept. 18. No sale will be conducted.
Week 2
Book 3 – Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 19-20. Sessions begin at 10 a.m. (416 horses/423 horses)
Book 4 – Monday-Tuesday, Sept. 21-22. Sessions begin at 10 a.m. (417 horses/423 horses)
Book 5A – Wednesday-Thursday, Sept. 23-24. Sessions begin at 10 a.m. (427 horses/431 horses)
Book 5B – Friday-Saturday, Sept. 25-26. Sessions begin at 10 a.m. (496 horses/481 horses)