Steady Trade Continues on Day 2 at OBS Spring Sale

The second session of the Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale went off April 26 at Ocala Breeders' Sales, seeing steady trade for the four-day sale. A son of Darley sire Frosted   claimed top honors after selling for $900,000 to Donato Lanni, agent for Zedan Racing Stables.

The Longoria Training & Sales, agent, consigned colt breezed a freakish :09 3/5 eighth-mile last week during the under tack show to be the co-fastest time clocked at the distance for the entire seven days of previews. Turning a healthy profit Wednesday, Paul Neatherlin pinhooked the bay from the Keeneland September Yearling Sale last year for $50,000.

The juvenile is out of the Indian Charlie mare Handwoven , a full sister to stakes-placed Auspicious  and a half sibling to Bashford Manor Stakes (G3)-placed Flatter Than Me . Vision Racing & Sales bred the colt in Kentucky. Agent Donato Lanni remains the sales leading buyer spending $2,350,000 on two horses, both for client Zedan Racing Stables for the past two sessions. 

OBS reported 180 horses sold of the 227 on offer Wednesday for gross receipts of $23,468,000. That is suitable for an average price of $130,378 and a median of $65,000, down 13.3% from last year. A buy-back rate of 20.7% accounts for the 47 horses that remained unsold.

During the second session last year, 194 horses changed hands of the 219 through the ring, for gross receipts of $26,634,500. An average price of $137,291 and a median of $75,000 was recorded. A low buy-back rate of 11.4% accounts for the 25 horses that remained unsold.

Reflecting on the market during Day 2, consignor Paul Sharp commented, "I think the top is very healthy. It feels like there is more of a second tier right now. There are many good horses here, which is really helping the sale company and the sale at the top. We need good horses; that is the key."

Wednesday's session saw seven horses sell for $500,000 or more and included sires Bolt d'Oro   (Hip 320—$700,000), Frosted (Hip 449—$900,000), Ghostzapper   (Hip 450—$575,000), Omaha Beach   (Hip 466—$650,000 and Hip 532—$700,000), Justify   (Hip 510—$750,000), and Lookin At Lucky   (Hip 570—$700,000).

"It's a little lighter today on anything that is not perceived as special," consignor Nick de Meric said. "A little lighter in the middle to lower range; as it happens, we had several that fell in that category today. It's been a bit lonely for some of those horses, but there is plenty of activity at the top end and demand for the elite offerings. We have some more for later in the sale, but for the lesser likes, it's been tougher."

Cumulatively over the past two days of selling, 353 horses have sold of the 433 to go under the hammer for gross receipts of $46,186,000, down 6.8% year-on-year. An average price of $130,839 and a median of $70,000 was recorded. The buy-back rate of 18.5% represents the 80 horses that have not sold.

At this point in 2022, OBS reported 375 sold of the 431 through the ring for gross receipts of $49,549,500. That is suitable for an average price of $132,132 and a median of $70,000. The RNA rate was 13% to account for the 56 horses that had not sold.

"It's good and bad; maybe our expectations were slightly high. There have been a couple of disappointing spots and a couple of bright spots," Wavertree's Ciaran Dunne said. "It's nothing that has been said for the last 10 years; they are either on or off; there is no middle ground. It's a little strange, and probably we got a little excited with our activity in the barn; our expectations were a little high."

Jacob West of West Bloodstock, agent for Repole Stable, made two purchases Wednesday for gross receipts of $960,000 to be the leading buyer by gross for the second session. Wavertree Stables sold eight horses for $2,400,000 to be the leading consignor by gross for the session.

Over the past two days, de Meric Sales have sold 21 head for $3,984,000 to be the leading consignor by gross.

"We had some fireworks Tuesday, and maybe there was a little disappointment that we didn't have similar fireworks today, but you can't pick how the catalog goes," OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski said. "I thought it was steady all day; we got a lot of horses traded."

The third day of the four-day sale, April 27, begins selling with Hips: 613-918 at 10:30 a.m. ET. On Wednesday evening, 142 horses had been withdrawn from the remaining sessions.