OBS Winter Mixed Concludes With $100K Omaha Beach Filly

The final session of the Winter Mixed Sale at Ocala Breeders' Sales Company concluded Jan. 24 with Discovery Bay Bloodstock spending $100,000 on an Omaha Beach   filly from the Fly By draft. After two days of selling, the sale recorded a gross of $4,428,800, posting a 30.2% decline from the previous year's edition.

The bay filly, consigned as Hip 409, is the second foal out of the winning Curlin   mare Gardenista, bred in Florida by Dominique Damico. Gardenista is out of the multiple graded winner and dual grade 1-placed Valbenny , by Val Royal.

The short yearling was the highest price of the three-session sale.

Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck's Summerfield sent a Mitole   filly, named Sweet Mitole through the ring at Hip 494, seeing Exclusive Equine Investments keep the bidding going to $90,000 to acquire the bay bred by Susan Kahn in the Sunshine State. She is out of the unraced Pointe Du Hoc and comes from the family of 2008 San Clemente Handicap (G2T) and Iowa Oaks (G3) winner Storm Mesa .

High Point Bloodstock, agent for Half Hollow Stables, purchased the Palace Malice  mare Nuetron Dancer for $33,000 from the Summerfield draft. The 4-year-old mare is a half sibling to 2015 Florida Sire Desert Vixen Stakes winner It's High Time  and Let Them Watch , a winner in the 2023 Sharp Susan Stakes. She sold Wednesday in foal to Classic Empire  on an early March cover.

"It felt pretty good overall; the horses perceived to be on the higher end sold well," OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski said. "It got sticky at times in the middle to lower end, but it went pretty well."

Day 2 closed with 163 of the 207 horses through the ring selling for a gross of $2,009,900, down 2.7% over the previous year. An average price of $12,331, up 11%, and a $5,200 median, showing a 30.7% decline, was recorded. There were 44 horses who failed to meet their reserve to represent an RNA rate of 21%.

Grade One Investments made three purchases Wednesday for $145,000 to be the session three leading buyer. Summerfield sold 30 head for receipts of $388,300 to be the session's leading seller.

Over the past three sessions, OBS reports 274 horses were traded of the 353 to go under the hammer for a $4,428,800 gross, showing a 30.2% decline from 2023. A $16,164 average, down 3.2%, and a median of $8,000, down 15.8%, was made. A total of 79 horses failed to sell, representing a 22% buyback rate.

Wojciechowski added: "One thing that hurt us this year, in regards to the gross, was the horses of racing age numbers being down, compared to last year. It's an ebb and flow situation from one year to the next."

Latinos y mas made two purchases for $160,000 to be the sale's leading buyer, and Summerfield sold 43 horses for a gross of $808,800 to be the leading consignor.

The next Central Florida sale will be the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, March 12-14, with an under tack preview March 6-9 beginning at 8 a.m. each day.

"I think we will continue to see what we have been seeing in the marketplace with the 2-year-old sales," Wojciechowski commented on the upcoming sales. "There will be a lot of money there for the top-end horses, and it can sometimes be a challenge in the middle and lower end, but I anticipate a good group of 2-year-olds for the upcoming season."