Vanlangendonck Succeeds O'Farrell as OBS Board Chairman

Francis Vanlangendonck became the fifth chairman of the board in the history of Ocala Breeders' Sales. Mike O'Farrell steps down after nearly 40 years as an OBS board member. George Onett was the first chairman in 1975, followed by Harry Mangurian Jr., Norman Casse, and O'Farrell.

Vanlangendonck operates Summerfield Sales with his wife, Barbara. Prior to being elected chairman, Vanlangendonck has been an OBS board member since 1990, became secretary/treasurer in 2005, and then vice president from 2007-21. Summerfield has been a perennial leading consignor at the OBS yearling and mixed sales. Last year, Summerfield ranked 15th nationally with yearling sales of nearly $9 million. Their full-service farm includes a swimming pond for rehabilitation and to prep and condition yearlings.

O'Farrell was elected to the OBS board in 1983, was vice president from 1986-2006, and chairman since 2007 before stepping down this year. The O'Farrell family's Ocala Stud has been a mainstay in Ocala since 1956 with Mike and his two sons, David and Joe, now directing operations. Ocala Stud is synonymous with the Florida breeding industry and OBS. His father, Joe O'Farrell, was a true promoter of Florida breeding and pioneer of the 2-year-old in training sales concept. He was one of the founding members of OBS in 1974 and the first vice president of OBS.

Barry Eisaman was elected vice president of the OBS board. Eisaman, a veterinarian, has been secretary/treasurer of OBS since 2010 and was first elected to the OBS board in 1996. Along with his wife, Shari, Eisaman operates Eisaman Equine which is a constant presence and leading consignor at the OBS 2-year-old in training sales. Many of the top racing stables in the country rely on Eisaman Equine to provide the foundation for their young horses for their racing career and to rehabilitate older horses for their return to the races.

Mark Casse was elected secretary/treasurer. He and his wife, Tina, manage the vast Casse Racing operations from their base in Ocala. He has been an OBS board member since 2001 and his father, Norman, was a founding member of OBS and chairman of the board of OBS for over 20 years. Mark has won more than 3,200 races as trainer with career earnings approaching $200 million. He has been inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Joining the OBS board for the first time are David O'Farrell (Ocala Stud) and Paul Sharp (Paul Sharp Stables). The rest of the board includes Tom Ventura (president), Carl Bowling, Nick de Meric (de Meric Sales), Jimbo Gladwell (Top Line Sales), Jesse Hoppel (Coastal Equine), John Penn (Pennston Farm), Bryan Rice (Woodside Ranch), and Eddie Woods.