Juvenile Sales Season Begins at OBS March

With a number of precocious juveniles turning heads during the under-tack show, consignors are feeling the usual mix of nervousness and optimism ahead of the first juvenile sale of the year, the Ocala Breeders' March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training March 12-14.

"Coming into this sale, there is always a bit of apprehension," consignor Paul Sharp said. "Our horses are coming into the sale in good shape, and we were hoping the buyers would be here for us and all the factors that determine a good sale. Right now, it feels pretty good. We have had a lot of action, but we are hopeful."

Over four days of breeze shows March 6-9, two individuals achieved blistering furlong moves of :9 3/5 March 8, likely benefitting from a tailwind.

One is a Vekoma   filly, Hip 448, offered by Wavertree Stables. The Kentucky-bred out of winner Minnelli is the sixth foal for the mare with three winners from as many starters.

"I think we are always a little apprehensive at the first sale of the year, especially coming out of a yearling market that was as strong as it was, and horses were so hard to buy," said Ciaran Dunne of Wavertree. "You sit there all winter, and you're proud of what you have, and then you remember what you paid for them, and it takes you down a peg or two. We were fortunate enough to have an outstanding breeze show, but that's just one hurdle. You have to get through the vetting process and showing. We are cautiously optimistic and proud of what we have here. Hopefully, people will receive them as well."

The second speedy juvenile, Hip 529, is a colt from the first crop of classic winner Tiz the Law  , consigned by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds. He was bred in Kentucky out of the grade 3-placed Our Majesty , a sibling to stakes winners Overvalued  and I Spy Wolfie .

During Saturday's session, one juvenile sprinted a quarter-mile in :20 1/5. The Ocala Stud-consigned Hip 788 is by first-year sire Win Win Win  . The bay filly out of Unanimity comes from the fast family of Lady Discreet, half sibling to grade 1-winning sires Discreet Cat  and Discreetly Mine , a producer of multiple grade 3 placed Courtesan  and stakes winner Chary .

"On the first and last days of the show, there was a headwind the horses had to fight through, and on the second and third days, we couldn't have asked for prettier weather," said Tod Wojciechowski, director of sales at OBS. "There were a lot of fast horses and times, and the consignors seem happy with how the horses have returned from their breezes."

During the other three days, 52 horses breezed an eighth-mile in :09 4/5, while three others breezed a quarter-mile in :20 2/5.

"It's always exciting to be the first 2-year-old sale of the year. Certainly, you don't always know what the future will hold," Wojciechowski said. "However, we are pretty excited about it and think we have a good group of horses on the grounds for buyers, and the buyers are here. I am always impressed by the international buying bench; we have several groups here from Japan who have had a lot of success buying out of the March sale. The grounds have been bustling the last few days, and consignors seem to be happy with the traffic in the barns."

This year's sale showcases 41 offerings from the late Robert Lothenbach Stables, offered by Niall Brennan Stables, de Meric Sales, Tom McCrocklin, and Ocala Stud.

The three days of selling start with Hips 1-284 at 11 a.m. ET Tuesday, followed by 285-568 Wednesday and Hips 569-853 Thursday. As of Monday evening, 167 horses had been withdrawn from the sale.

"We have had a lot of good traffic," said Torie Gladwell of Top Line Sales. "Repeat buyers who have had success with us in the past come back and ask which horses they might need to see or have missed. It's great to have buyers who trust the consignors to shop horses even when they might have missed them on the track.

"The middle market is probably going to be a little tricky. There aren't many people here shopping for the middle and lower horses. The $20,000 to $50,000 horses will be tough to move, but some buyers do come in on the day of the sale. I think reputation and word of mouth hold a lot of weight."

During last year's three-day sale, 464 horses were sold of the 585 to go under the hammer for a record-setting gross of $71,473,500, creating an average of $154,038 and a $75,000 median. The sales topper was the $2 million Muth , by Good Magic  , purchased by agent Donato Lanni, who was the sale's leading buyer. Muth's price also equaled the sale's record, achieved in 2019.   

De Meric Sales sold 38 of its 42 head draft for a gross of $6,262,000 and an average of $164,789 to be the leading seller by gross.

The OBS March Sale has become known for its graduates. Just this past year, White Abarrio  captured the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and Whitney Stakes (G1). The Race Day  colt was sold for $40,000 in 2021 to Carlos Perez from the Nice and Easy Thoroughbreds draft. The 2023 Top Line Sales graduate Muth won the 2023 American Pharoah Stakes (G1) and dominated the San Vicente Stakes (G2) in January; Speed Boat Beach , winner of the 2023 Malibu Stakes (G1), was purchased by the Three Amigos for $200,000 from Really and Truly Thoroughbreds in 2022; and 2023 Kitakyushu Kinen (G3) victor Jasper Krone  was picked up by his trainer, Hideyuki Mori, in 2021 for $90,000 from Kings Equine.

The March Sale has accounted for 120 graded stakes victories since 2018, including 14 grade 1 wins.

Consignor Paul Sharp brings forward a draft of eight horses and notes that his group has the highest yearling average prices to date for his partnership groups and is also full of quality.

"The strength in the yearling market made things a little more challenging, but we want to buy good horses," Sharp said. "Hip 187, our Collected colt, is a beautiful horse. Everyone who has been here loves him. He worked very well and has a great stride and presence. The Authentic filly, Hip 739, is (by) a first-crop sire we are excited about, and she worked well. She has a lot of appeal on the shank.

"The Bolt d'Oro filly, Hip 642, is very strong and worked professionally. She is an excellent horse on the shank with terrific conformation; she is balanced and athletic. She's everything people look for. The sleeper here is the Cloud Computing filly, Hip 724. She is a physical beast and worked close to the end of the day Saturday in the 20-mph headwind, and she has always worked well at home. She is a very nice horse."

It will all begin to take shape Tuesday when juveniles enter the ring.