OBS Moves Yearling Sale to October
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Photo: Joe DiOrio
OBS yearling sale
The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company is moving its annual yearling sale from August to October in 2017 and is combining its mixed sales into one January event.
OBS announced Nov. 23 that the selected yearling sale will be conducted Oct. 10 next year, to be followed by open sessions Oct. 11-12. The January winter mixed sale that includes horses of racing age, is scheduled for Jan. 25-27, with an under tack workout show Jan. 23.
Previously, the Florida-based sales company has conducted two mixed sales annually, but this year the October auction was put on hiatus and combined with the January 2017 sale due to a major renovation of the pavilion. The decision to move the yearling sale to October will result in OBS having only one mixed sale a year.
“Based on our feedback, we believe the October time slot offers a better overall fit for both consignors and buyers,” said OBS president Tom Ventura, who added that finding suitable dates in a crowded sales calendar is a little tricky. “Consolidating our mixed sales into January provides us the flexibility to shift the yearling sale to October.”
Repositioning the August sale was under consideration for some time, considering the hot and humid weather in Ocala at that time of the year and that the sale competes with the annual Del Mar and Saratoga Race Course meets for the attention of the horse racing community. The decision to move the yearling sale and combine the mixed sales was part of the company’s annual evaluation of its calendar, said Tod Wojciechowski.
“Moving the sale from August to the milder October weather will be a plus for buyers, consignors, and horses,” Ventura said. “An additional side benefit of the new dates is the extra time after our 2-year-old sales to move our construction project along.”
With a 36% buyback rate, this year’s August yearling sale saw 521 yearlings (from 819 offered) gross $8,885,300, down 28.6% from the 2015 aggregate of $12,402,900 for 563 sold (from 696 through the ring, a 19% RNA rate). The average declined 22.5% and the median fell from $13,000 to $7,000, according to BloodHorse MarketWatch statistics.