LEXINGTON, Ky. – A $1.1 million Curlin colt led a pair of seven-figure horses as the Keeneland September yearling sale closed its upper-market first week with average and median figures improved from last year's record renewal. Through the first four sessions of the sale, making up Books 1 and 2 prior to a dark day on Friday, Keeneland reported 637 yearlings sold for gross receipts of $234,300,000. At this point of the sale last year, which had the same format, 669 yearlings had brought $236,990,000. These figures do not include horses who failed to meet their reserve in the ring and later sold privately, numbers Keeneland ultimately factors into its final results. The cumulative average price to this point is $367,818, tracking 4 percent ahead of the $354,245 through Books 1 and 2 in 2022. The median sits at $300,000, up 9 percent from $275,000. The 2022 sale ultimately finished with record gross, average, and median figures. "I think today was a very steady, good, healthy, market," Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy said at the conclusion of Thursday's Book 2 finale. "We were tracking the median all through the day, and it never moved at all. It was very, very steady. . . . We've got to be very happy as it wraps up, and just change gears and head into the second week." The current buyback rate is 29 percent. It was a cumulative 26 percent through Books 1 and 2 last year. "There's selectivity creeping into the market, but it's still a very healthy, robust market with a lot of good trade, a lot of domestic interest," Keeneland director of sales operations Cormac Breathnach said. "There are a lot of people here that really haven't had their hands up yet," he added of the buying bench. Thirty yearlings changed hands for seven-figure sums at Keeneland this week, matching last year's total, and likely concluding those upper-market fireworks. The last time a horse sold for $1 million beyond the fourth session of this sale came in the fifth session in 2019 – but that represented part of Book 2 of that sale, under a different format. The bulk of the seven-figure yearlings, 23, came in Book 1, with another seven in Book 2. The overall Book 2 leader was the $1.2 million half-brother to Kentucky Derby winner Mage sold in Wednesday's book opener. Topping the Thursday session was the $1.1 million son of Hall of Famer and consistent classic sire Curlin. Bloodstock agent Lauren Carlisle signed the ticket on behalf of an undisclosed client. “He looks really fast, and hopefully he proves that," Carlisle said. "He has a really good walk and looks very athletic. We’re looking for a nice two-turn colt, and hopefully he can be that horse.” The colt – who was consigned by Taylor Made Sales as agent for Breeze Easy LLC – is out of the Into Mischief mare Miss Sunset, who won nine stakes races. Those efforts were highlighted by a win in the Grade 2 Raven Run in 2017 at Keeneland. She also finished second by a nose in the Grade 1 Madison at Keeneland the following spring. Miss Sunset is the dam of one winner from two starters, that being O'Conner Sunset, a full brother to this colt. “Very well-balanced colt, and the main thing about him was he was very athletic," said Mark Taylor of his family's Taylor Made operation. "When you see him walk, he just barely hit the ground, and he just kind of floated." The session's other seven-figure horse, a $1.05 million son of prominent young sire Not This Time, was purchased by West Point Thoroughbreds, in partnership with Mike Talla's Talla Racing. West Point principal Tery Finley, who has been active signing tickets throughout the week solo and in various partnerships, said this prospect will be trained by John Sadler in California. "I thought he was just a dude," Finley said. "He walked around the back ring like he owned it. He had that presence about him. When I looked at him, he was like ‘Hey, I’m the man.’ ” The Virginia-bred colt, consigned by St. George Sales, as agent, is out of the winning Exchange Rate mare Foreign Affair, whose first starter is a winner. Foreign Affair is a half-sister to English Group 3 winner So Perfect, also multiple Group 1-placed in Europe. Following one day off on Friday, the Keeneland September sale will test the middle and lower marketplaces as it moves into Books 3, 4, 5, and 6. Each of those books includes two sessions, and the sale will run with no days off through Sept. 23. Taylor, whose outfit is a perennial leading consignor here, suggested that the makeup of the catalog under its current format could lead to robust activity in the second week of the sale. "Keeneland has done a nice job at pushing better physicals forward into Book 1, and I think in some ways, that might have weakened Book 2 physicals a little bit," Taylor said. "There might have been some well-pedigreed horses that were average physicals that used to go into Book 1, but now are in Book 2, and I think that Book 3 is going to be really strong physicals, the heart of the middle market, and there’s going to be more buyers that we haven’t even seen. "We’re not even to halftime yet." For hip-by-hip results, click here. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.