More Than Ready sired the top-priced filly at the Keeneland April 2YO Sale on Monday.

Three Chimneys Farm snapped up the full sister to More Than Ready’s 2010 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner More Than Real for $400,000.

The Vinery champion’s dark bay filly motored her 200 metre gallop in 9.60 seconds.

The Keeneland filly and her Breeders’ Cup winning sister are from stakes mare Miss Seffens (Dehere).  She won 11 races up to a mile and was fourth home in the 2000 Kentucky Oaks.

Gainesway Farm topped the one-day sale’s leader-board with $1 million for the three-quarter brother to red-hot sire Tapit (Pulpit).

Like Tapit, who stands at Gainesway, the colt is by an A P Indy stallion – in his case Malibu Moon – out of stakes-winning Unbridled mare Tap Your Heels.

The Kentucky-bred chestnut became the first juvenile to bring seven figures at this sale since Azeri’s son Take Control commanded $1.90 million in 2009.  He had worked 200 metres in 9.80 seconds at last Thursday’s breeze-up session.

“He moved over the ground really well,” said Gainesway’s Antony Beck.  “He just skipped along effortlessly.  He has a great action and he’s a large horse so hopefully he will win some stakes for us and Chad Brown who will be the trainer.”

Tapit was a Group 1 winner of the 2004 Wood Memorial and he is having a banner year at stud with Constitution (G1 Florida Derby) and Untapable (G2 Fair Grounds Oaks) leading the way.

Tapit has also sired 2008 Champion 2YO Filly Stardom Bound, 2011 Champion 2YO Colt Hansen, 2009 BC Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Tapitsfly, 2012 BC Dirt Mile winner Tapizar and Group 1 winners as Joyful Victory, Careless Jewel, Zazu and Japan’s Testa Matta.

The auction was notable for its high number of withdrawals – down from 125 to 50 with Keeneland reporting 38 horses changed hands for total turnover of $8.76 million.  The $230,763 average increased 17% while the $200,000 median jumped 33%.

“There was a disappointing number of outs but, unfortunately, we don’t have any control over that,” Keeneland director Geoffrey Russell said.  “The horses that went through the ring sold very well.  There was a large number of trainers and a healthy pool of buyers here, underlining the fact that Keeneland is a great place to sell two-year-olds.”

KEENELAND CONNECTION
More Than Ready – Miss Seffens filly breezes over 200 metres at Keeneland