Slow and Steady Opener at OBS March Sale

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale opener March 20 sprung into action, albeit with a slow start. The session was headlined by a Justify   colt who drove bidding up to $1.2 million with the partnership of Maverick Racing and Siena Farm victorious.

"It's hard to make an apples-to-apples comparison because we are 200 more horses and added a day; it will be interesting to see what happens over the next two days," OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski said. "We expect the RNA rate to trend downward with post-sale sales; we have already seen a lot of activity."

Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds consigned the session-topping Justify colt out of grade 3-placed Zinzay  as Hip 215. The precocious colt named Saturday Dreams breezed an eighth-mile in :10 during last week's under tack show. His stakes-winning half sibling by Malibu Moon, Moon Over Miami , placed in the Man o' War Stakes (G1T), Pan American Stakes (G2T), and Mac Diarmida Stakes (G3T) in 2021.

This was the second trip through the sales ring for the colt bred in Kentucky by Summer Wind Equine. He initially sold by Lane's End last year during the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $250,000 to Hartley/DeRenzo.

Commenting on the top two horses from the first session, Wojciechowski said, "Those were special horses (Hips 215 and 95), they did it on the racetrack, and then when you went and looked at them in the barn, they were spectacular. Unsurprisingly, those horses did well. It's the adage; you can't hide a good horse."

At the close of business Monday, OBS reported 131 horses of the 193 through the ring sold for gross receipts of $20,192,500. This resulted in an average price of $154,141 and a median of $90,000. Sixty-two individuals failed to meet their reserves to represent a 32.1%  RNA rate.

"It's hard to get a read on it the first couple hours of the sale," consignor Nick de Meric said. "We didn't have our strongest group of horses today, but we sold a few nicely. I think once the sale gathers momentum, this will be fine. All the major players are here, and plenty of people are shopping at every level. I think it will be fine, it was a little slow getting started, but that's every horse sale."

During last year's opening session of a two-day sale, OBS recorded 206 horses changed hands of the 227 on offer for a gross of $27,545,000. An average price of $133,714 and a median of $77,500 was recorded. Twenty-one horses failed to sell, representing an RNA rate of 9.3%.

Wojciechowski added: "Horses sold well today and I think a number of the RNAs will be sold post-sale as we move forward, and we have many good horses left."

Five juveniles sold for over $500,000, two of which came from the Hartley/DeRenzo consignment: the session-topping Justify colt, and an Uncle Mo   colt (Hip 95). The racing partnership of Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt and Jackpot Farm signed the sales slip for the Uncle Mo juvenile at $950,000.

Hartley/DeRenzo sold two horses on Day 1 for $2,150,000 to be the session's leading consignor.

"We're very boutique; we just buy a handful of horses," Randy Hartley commented. "We try and get the best we can. We feel like if the market's a little leery or a little off, this is called the Sport of Kings for a reason because all the wealthy people still want these nice horses, and that's why we've always tried to step up a little bit more than the average pinhooker."

The 10 highest-priced horses of the first session, each selling for at least $375,000, sold to nine distinct buyers and came from sires Arrogate  (Hip 24), Audible   (112), Catalina Cruiser   (66), City of Light   (123), Frosted   (247), Good Magic   (262), Justify (215), Laoban (168), Uncle Mo (95), and Union Rags   (200).

The Heiligbrodts, in partnership with Terry Green's Jackpot Farm, purchased three individuals for receipts of $1,485,000 to be the Day 1 leading buyer.

"I think it's slow unless you have the right horse. We haven't had a great day, but it wasn't unexpected," Ciaran Dunne said. "We didn't have a good breeze show, and at the end of the day, it comes down to what they do on the racetrack, and unfortunately, ours didn't show up. There are plenty of people here and I think there is an appetite to buy horses. You have to have what they want."

The sale continues March 21 with Hips 279-556 heading through the ring, beginning at 11 a.m. The sale concludes March 22 with Hips 557-833 to head through the ring. As of Monday evening, 107 horses were withdrawn from the remaining sessions.