Seeing the Sale in Action
As someone who looks forward to the Keeneland September Yearling Sale as much (or more?) than the Kentucky Derby, it was quite a treat to be able to attend and see the action in person.
Thoroughbred auctions are sights, sounds and numbers. Lots of numbers. And many of those numbers directly correlated with what we are currently studying in the Development and Management of the Racing Animal class. A project that we worked on prior to coming to Keeneland involved researching specific stallions’ fees and auction averages, and at Keeneland, those figures came to life. By doing that project, we had a better understanding of the prices that yearlings were bringing and why. Of course, we also enjoyed guessing the prices of the particular yearlings.
While at Keeneland, we had the pleasure of meeting with RTIP alum Kathy Berkey as she was preparing yearlings from her consignment to go through the ring later in the day. Seeing the behind-the-scenes, from showing the yearling to potential buyers and setting a reserve, to the trip to the sales ring when the yearling sold (and sold well!) was exciting and informative. — Jacob Shepard