Leading all consignors by average, Gainesway sold the highest-priced colt and the highest priced filly at Keeneland on Day 5 of the September yearling sale.

The session-topping yearlings were both by Smart Strike, and sold for $550,000 apiece. Gaineway's average of $258,143 was 20% higher than the second best average for the day.

The first of Gainesway's Smart Strike session-toppers was Hip 985, a bay colt out of the Deputy Minister mare Madame Thor, purchased by Zayat Stables. In signing the sales ticket, Zayat’s finance and stallion general manager Bradley Weisbord told the media “[Zayat] said he was a must-have…he said, ‘Go get the horse,’ so I had to get the horse.” Gainesway Thoroughbreds and Corinthian Mares bred the colt, who is from the immediate family of millionaire Breeders’ Cup winner Very Subtle.

About 100 hips later, George Bolton paid $550,000 for Hip 1082, a bay filly out of stakes winner My Miss Storm Cat. Gainesway consigned the yearling for Jess Jackson’s Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings. Bolton told the press afterwards, “She was [advisor] John’s (Moynihan) favorite filly in the sale, so he wanted me to stretch a little bit and get this one. She’s obviously beautifully bred. Her dam was really talented and we love the sire. There are a lot of good things happening in horse racing right now, so we could stretch with a little more confidence versus this time last year.”

Through the first five days of the Sale, Gainesway sold 28 yearlings for total receipts of $7,057,000, an average of $252,036.