OBS Offers Sale With Broad Appeal

By any measure, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s April sale of 2-year-olds in training has come a long way over the last five years and in some quarters is the best juvenile sale in country, ostensibly due to the large number of offerings in all price ranges and racetrack performance of sale graduates.

After withdrawals from the 1,216 head cataloged, about a 1,000 horses will go through the ring at the Ocala, Fla., sales complex over the course of four days from April 19-22. Sessions begin at 10:30 a.m. EDT daily.

Last year 683 of 867 offered horses grossed $53,944,900, an average of $78,982 and a median of $45,000. Five years ago, 830 horses were sold from 1,084 offered for total receipts of $25,980,200 and an average price of $31,301.

Five years ago, the sale-topper brought $825,000; last year’s auction was topped by the $1.9 million paid by Solis/Litt Bloodstock for a daughter of Tapit from the Woodford Thoroughbreds consignment. The filly named Inheritance was the most expensive 2-year-old sold at public auction in 2015 and has one win and a second from three starts for LNJ Foxwoods and trainer Steve Asmussen.

According to OBS data, since the beginning of 2015, 163 spring sale graduates have won or placed in 284 stakes.

The April sale has yielded nine Eclipse Award winners and three classic winners have come out of the sale—Lil E. Tee, Silver Charm, and I'll Have Another. Two more that have gone through the OBS April sale ring were recently honored with Sovereign Awards as Canadian champions. and, OBS April sale alumni in recent headlines include newly minted Japanese group-winning millionaire A Shin Bullseye and UAE Oaks winner (UAE-III) Polar River, second in the UAE Derby (UAE-II) after a troubled trip.

“This has turned into such a solid horse sale you can bring your top-end horses here,” said Kevin McKathan, who with his brother J.B. consign as McKathan Brothers, “but it’s also a huge market for people that can’t afford that top-end horse (at more select sales).

“This sale is shopped so heavily (by buyers) because their dollar goes a little farther than when a shorter field is offered to them (at select sales). I have seen some new faces among buyers, which is always a good sign.”

"I think this will be a vibrant sale," said Nick de Meric, whose de Meric Sales is among the leading consignors with 80 cataloged. "There is something for every pocket book and every echelon of buyer. From the top, that will be just as strong as at the other sales; to the regional buyers, buyers will be able to buy horses they can make money with."

"The April sale has evolved into a 'proper' horse sale, and the right people are here," said Eddie Woods, who also offers a large consignment.

"It has something for everybody," said Aiken, S.C.-based pinhooker Cary Frommer. "It's a sale that has lot of horses, and if you don't have a standout, you kind of get lost."