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Figures soared on the first three days of the reformatted 2018 Keeneland September Sale, with the return of Sheikh Mohammed as an active buyer leading the way.

The premier 742-head catalogue saw 457 horses sold for $167,338,000, compared with $149,414,000 paid for 483 lots through the same period in 2017.

This year’s sale has averaged $366,166 with a $280,000 median, compared with the 2017 average of $309,346 and median of $220,000.

The sale opened with 138 horses sold on day one for $48,620,000 at an average of $352,319 and a $260,000 median, with a 34.9 percent buyback rate.

Sheikh Mohammed, present for the first time in a decade, topped the buyers’ list with 11 yearlings purchased for $7.28 million. Nine were bought for his flagship Godolphin operation and two for Japan.

His day one buys were led by the session-topping $2.2 million purchase of a colt from the first crop of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, whose 12 yearlings sold on day one for a total of $6.335 million.

That number was eclipsed on day two when a colt by War Front became the most expensive yearling to sell at auction in the world this year.

The colt is out of the G1 winner Streaming and made $2.4 million from Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier.

A War Front filly, a half-sister to 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, also sold for $1.75 million to UK trainer John Gosden.

The third day saw seven yearlings sold for $1 million or more to bring the sale total to 20 millionaires.

American Pharoah progeny again topped the third session with Oxo Equine acquiring one of his colt‘s for $1.4 million.

Sierra Farm had purchased his dam Bsharpsonata when carrying the American Pharoah colt in utero for $375,000 last year.

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale Book 1 closed its four day run with six more seven figure yearlings sold, topped by a son of Medaglia D'Oro for $2.1 million.

Keeneland reported 139 horses were sold during the session for gross receipts of US$49,475,000, an average price of US$355,935 and a median price of US$300,000.

The final stats showed 596 yearlings sold over the four days for $216,813,000, a 10.3 per cent gain over the $196,645,000 gross for the first four days of the marathon sale in 2017.

This year's four-day average of US$363,780 was a 26 per cent improvement over the $288,759 figure a year ago.

The median rose by 50 per cent to US$300,000 from US$200,000 with 229 yearlings not sold represented an RNA rate of 27.8 per cent.

Top Lots - Keeneland September Sale Book 1

Colt War Front x Streaming M V Magnier $2,400,000

Colt American Pharoah x Kindle Woods Godolphin $2,200,000

Colt Medaglia d'Oro x Exotic Bloom Phoenix Thoroughbreds $2,100,000

Colt Curlin x Molly Morgan Summerfield Oxo Equine $1,800,000

Filly War Front x Seeking Godolphin $1,750,000

Colt Medaglia d'Oro x Dayatthespa Godolphin $ 1,600,000

Filly Tapit x Miss Macy Sue Don Alberto Corporation $1,400,000

Colt Uncle Mo x Secret Mike Ryan Agent $ 1,400,000

Colt American Pharoah x Bsharpsonata Oxo Equine $1,400,000

Colt Empire Maker x Seeinsbelieven Phoenix Thoroughbreds $1,350,000