A flashy A.P. Indy colt commanded $4.2 million at Keeneland's September yearling sale on Sunday night.
The Thoroughbred market might not be as strong as it once was, but that doesn't mean the money isn't there for the right horse.
''He definitely has the pedigree to become a superstar,'' said Ben Leon, who bought the colt in the name of his Besilu Stables. ''He's got the size, he's got everything, and he's just about perfect.''
Consigned by Mill Ridge Sales, the colt is the highest priced yearling to sell at a North American public auction since 2006. He is the first foal out of grade I winner Balance, a half-sister to champion mare Zenyatta.
Undefeated in 18 career starts, Zenyatta won last year's Breeders' Cup Classic.
Leon, who was making his first purchase at a Keeneland sale, began bidding around the $3.5 million mark. The colt will go into training with Todd Pletcher, who won this year's Kentucky Derby with Super Saver.
''We are trying to be part of the Thoroughbred family, and we are trying to do it right - not in quantity but in quality,'' Leon said. ''We felt he was the best horse in the sale, so that gave me the confidence to go forward and make the investment. It was a fun bid, and I am very happy that we did it.
''This is my first visit to Keeneland. This is the first one and it has been kind of nice to make it count, to actually walk away with the colt.''
The second-highest price yearling of the opening session was a son of Giant's Causeway who sold for $950,000. The colt was purchased by Kaleem Shah, who was also the underbidder on the $4.2 million topper.
A total of 69 horses were sold for a gross of $23.965 million, and the average price was $347,319. Another 24 horses were offered, but didn't find new homes because they failed to meet the seller's minimum asking price.
This is the first year the sale started on a Sunday night, and fewer horses were offered. That makes it difficult to compare to past opening sessions. However, during the opening session in 2009, 107 horses sold for $24.949 million. The average price was $233,168.
''We're encouraged with how things went,'' said Geoffrey Russell, Keeneland's director of sales. ''The goal when we changed the format was that we would see a difference, and I think we did. There was an electricity in the air. It was nice. Our hope is that this momentum continues into the next sessions.''
Keeneland has catalogued 4,857 yearlings for this year's sale, which runs through Sept. 26.
