Average Prices Up on Day 1 of OBS June

The first of three sessions at the June 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale at Ocala Breeders' Sales got underway June 13 with a colt by Hard Spun   headlining the day at $450,000, selling to Frank Fletcher Racing Operations. The day concluded with results similar to the robust 2022 figures, with an uptick in the average price by 6.4%, while the gross declined by $525,600.

During the preview show, the colt consigned as Hip 130 by de Meric Sales breezed an eighth in :09 4/5. Agent Donato Lanni was on hand to help Fletcher in sourcing the colt for his elite stable of runners.

"There are horses that are pointed to go to a 2-year-old sale, and a lot of these horses here at the June Sale were planned to go to an earlier sale and never made it," Lanni said. "For various reasons, they maybe need more time. They weren't ready to go then, so they got pushed back to June. When you give them more time to grow, develop, and mature throughout the year, they look pretty good in June. I like that aspect of this sale; a good horse will rise above and work well at the sale and do the right thing. At the June sale, you can find a horse that was given the right time for the right reason. If you find it, it works out."

The May-born colt out of the stakes-placed mare Mine All Mine  was an RNA last year during the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale at $69,000 for his breeder, Athens Woods. He is a half sibling to the stakes winner Athens Queen  and two other winners.

The Little Rock, Ark., native Fletcher made one other purchase Tuesday to be the Day 1 leading buyer spending a gross of $680,000, accounting for the two top-priced offerings of the first session.

Perennial leading consignor de Meric Sales sold all 10 of its Tuesday draft for receipts of $988,700 as the session 1 leading consignor by gross.

During the first selling session, OBS reported 193 of the 266 horses through the ring sold for gross figures of $7,190,400, a year-on-year decrease of 4.2%. Among other important metrics was an average price of $37,256, an increase over 2022 of 8.2%, and a median of $20,000, for a reduction of 9.1%. An RNA rate of 27.4% represents the 73 horses that remained unsold.

Last year for the first day of selling, 218 horses sold of the 275 on offer for a gross of $7,636,000, at an average of $35,028 and a median of $22,000. An RNA rate of 20.7% accounted for the 57 head that went unsold.

The top 10 horses sold for $140,000 or more to nine distinct buyers and are led by sires Hard Spun (Hip 130—$450,000); Malibu Moon (Hip 356—$230,000 and Hip: 116—$190,000); Munnings   (Hip 312—$210,000); Chitu   (Hip 347—$165,000); Street Sense   (Hip 10—$160,000); Noble Mission  (Hip 39—$150,000); Blame   (Hip 204—$150,000); Bucchero   (Hip 9—$145,000), and Maximus Mischief   (Hip 257—$140,000).

The sale continues June 14-15, beginning at 10 a.m. ET, with Hips 361-720 Wednesday and Hips 721-1088 Thursday. As of Tuesday evening, 173 horses had been withdrawn from the remaining sessions.

Replays of the under tack show can be found here, and the sale will be streamed live at BloodHorse.com.