Keeneland September Yearling Sale Sets $536.7M World Record, Topped by $3.7M Colt

Keeneland's 2026 September Yearling Sale generated $536.7 million in through-the-ring gross sales, a worldwide record for a thoroughbred auction and roughly $26 million above the prior mark set at Keeneland a year earlier. The 12-session sale, held Sept. 14–26 in Lexington, Kentucky, moved 2,856 yearlings. A record 70 sold for $1 million or more, up from 56 in 2025. Average price rose 6.87% to $187,933, the sixth straight record cumulative average, while the median climbed 6.25% to $85,000. Including post-sale transactions, total gross reached $558.3 million. Tax incentives under the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," which made 100% bonus depreciation permanent, drove demand, CNBC reported. Buyers can deduct the full purchase price against taxable income in the year of acquisition. International purchasers accounted for about a quarter of yearlings sold, with buyers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Libya represented despite Gulf conflict concerns. Buyers came from 30 countries. The top lot, a dark bay colt by Into Mischief, sold for $3.7 million to M.V. Magnier and Peter Brant's White Birch Farm. Taylor Made Sales Agency led consignors with $68.6 million. Gun Runner was the leading sire for a second year.