War Front Filly Shines at OBS Juvenile Sale

It took a bid made via a transatlantic phone call from Royal Ascot to give the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. a much-needed spark during the June 15 second session of the 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age sale as Justin Casse, acting as agent, secured a War Front   filly for $425,000.

Though the War Front filly and two other big transactions Wednesday produced prices in excess of the opening-day highest price, it still did little to boost the overall totals that continue to be well behind last year.

After two days, 292 horses were sold for a total $8,490,700, with the average down 21.8% to $29,078 from $37,181 a year ago when 309 head grossed $11,488,900. This year’s cumulative median is $15,000, compared with $19,000 in 2015. The cumulative RNA rate is 29.6%, which will be adjusted after post-sale private transactions are tallied by OBS.

For the second session, OBS reported 146 horses sold for $4,828,400, an average of $33,071 and a median of $15,500. Those numbers are down from last year’s gross of $5,931,300 for 158 head, with an average of $37,540 and a $20,000 median.

“We made up some ground today,” OBS sales director Tod Wojciechowski said. “I think there was more action all the way through. It seemed like a better day today. We’re still off a little but there are still two more days of selling with quality horses both days.”

Casse, an OBS regular consignor and buyer, was present when the War Front filly breezed an eighth-mile during the under tack show in :10, the co-second-fastest time during the six days of workouts. Casse then went to England where his brother, trainer Mark Casse, saddled Tepin to win the Queen Anne Stakes (Eng-I) on Royal Ascot's opening day June 14, which coincided with the OBS sale’s first session.

“She was impressive for her whole breeze and down the backside,” Casse said. “She looks very much like the sire. She is very classy and I like her family. There is some activity there. She was our pick of the sale.”

Casse, who said he could not identify the buyer, noted that after seeing the soft market during the June 14 OBS opener he thought he might be able to get the filly for about what he paid.

“Watching the results of the sale, I knew it was tough yesterday (June 14), but I knew the prices were going to improve because the quality of the horses improved," Casse explained. "Earlier in the week, I thought maybe she would bring closer to $600,000, but as I was getting word there was a lack of money at OBS, I thought I might get her for that. I was not entirely surprised, but you never know when you’re dealing with a War Front filly that breezed :10 flat what it could take.”

Named Black Canary and consigned as Hip 316 by Woodford Thoroughbreds, as agent, the filly bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm is a half sister to stakes-placed Joe Tess and is out of the stakes-placed Gold Fever mare Forty Moves. Second dam Dance Moves, by Capote, is the dam of grade I winner Cat Moves and is the granddam of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. IT) winner Hootenanny.

“She brought what she deserved to bring,” said Woodford Thoroughbreds general manager Matt Lyons, who noted the purchase price was “comfortably above” her reserve that he described as reasonable. “She is by a super sire. It was a fair price.”

The second-highest price of the day—and the first two days of the auction—of $370,000 was paid by Nick Hines, agent, for an undisclosed new owner for Hip 484, a Candy Ride   colt produced from a sister to grade III winner Great War Eagle and whose second dam is Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) winner Cash Run. Consigned by Bobby Dodd, agent, the colt was bred in Kentucky by Town and Country Farms and bought by Grand Oaks for $185,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale.

Hines said the Candy Ride colt, who will likely race in California with a trainer that has yet to be selected, has all the qualities buyers look for.

“He is a very athletic looking colt,” Hines said. “He checked all the boxes—conformation, attitude—he’s a winner. We were prepared to go further, but he was in comfort zone as far as what we spent. In this type of sale the good ones stand out.”

Bloodstock agent Michel Everett, representing California owner Martha Dugan, bought an Uncle Mo   colt for $350,000. Consigned as Hip 476 by Classic Bloodstock, the colt bred in Kentucky by Betz/Kidder/Lamantia had been bought by Chris Drakos for $100,000 from the Betz Thoroughbreds consignment at the Keeneland yearling sale.

“We’re going to win the (Kentucky) Derby with him next year,” said Dugan, who hasn't selected a Southern California trainer for the colt. "We’re going after the Derby one last time. We’ll see what happens."

“I thought he might bring a little more but this sale has been soft," said Classic Bloodstock's Danzel Brendemuehl. "I am glad these people bought this horses because he is a Derby-type horse. He gets over the ground great. He does everything right. He has a great mind.”

While the three high-priced transactions on the day were a welcome boost for the sale, the lower and middle markets languished. As the final juvenile sale of the year, some consignors let their 2-year-olds go at a loss at the OBS sale and re-stock at the fall yearling sales.

“It’s extremely unhealthy when so many of the consignors are losing money,” buyer Jerry O’Meara said. “I would say the biggest majority of consignors are losing money. However, somebody could come in a buy a horse for small money and do very well at the racetrack. Most consignors are taking a major hit. From that perspective, I am disappointed because you don’t want those guys to go broke. You want those guys to survive.

“There are some horses that when compared with a better market you are buying for 50 cents on the dollar. I think the guys who race at smaller tracks have been forced out because of expenses. Many people that have been here in previous years are not here, and that is very noticeable despite being able to buy in a fire sale. Our market has gotten thinner.”

“There is no one here,” said consignor Ciaran Dunne of Wavertree Stables, who noted many trainers and foreign buyers normally in attendance are not at OBS this year.

Dunne said the large supply of horses and small pool of buyers may make some consignors change the way they do business, which could impact yearling markets.

“We all need to take a look at what we’re doing,” Dunne said. “Traditionally (Wavertree) will buy 40 plus or minus yearlings every year. I have to look and see if there is a marketplace for buying 40-odd yearlings. Fewer numbers wouldn’t be the end of the world.”