Consignors Like OBS Mixed Sale Consolidation

As she hustled through the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s barn area with an armload of stall door cards, Kim Harrison stopped long enough to offer her optimistic opinion about the upcoming OBS winter mixed sale.

Like a lot of consignors, Harrison’s upbeat view of the Jan. 25-26 auction is buoyed by a decision by OBS last year to cancel its October mixed sale. That decision, due to the beginning of an extensive sale pavilion renovation, subsequently resulted in OBS deciding to move its August yearling sale to October going forward, leaving the January auction the only mixed sale each year.

MITCHELL: OBS Moves Yearling Sale to October

“There were not enough horses for both sales, so it will just make January better,” said Harrison, who has a 27-strong consignment this year.

Harrison said the January sale is an integral part of her sales program, since she is based in Ocala and has a strong Florida clientele. Harrison consigned a filly by The Factor   that topped the 2015 winter sale when sold for $190,000 and a Curlin   filly she sold last year for $145,000 was the second-highest priced horse.

A total of 541 horses are cataloged for the sale, which consists of consignor preferred horses of racing age sessions Wednesday, Jan. 25 and a Jan. 26 open session. The auction begins at 10:30 a.m. ET daily.

Last year, 137 head changed hands during the preferred session for total receipts of $2,471,000, an average price of $18,037, and an $8,500 median. The horses of racing age segment, which has become one of the most popular features of the sale, saw 61 horses average $15,528 on a gross of $947,200 last year, with a $10,000 median. The open session resulted in 163 horses bringing $1,179,300, an average price of $7,235, and a $4,000 median.

Consignor Niall Brennan agreed that reconfiguring the OBS calendar made sense, especially during a time of a declining buyer base.

“Times are changing and it really was time for them to consolidate both sales,” said Brennan, a member of OBS’ board. “In these regional markets there are fewer horses and to have two mixed sales so close together didn’t make sense. The idea is trying to change things up. So we are trying to be creative and I think October will be great time to have yearling sale here in place of what used to be a mixed sale.”

Brennan said his consignment will not be as strong as it could have been since three horses of racing age he was preparing to offer have been withdrawn due to OBS precluding from its grounds any horses that were in the state of Louisiana past Dec. 10. Those restrictions were a result of an outbreak of equine herpesvirus at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

“They did the right thing,” the horseman said of the OBS decision. “You can’t take chances with things like. It’s just unfortunate, with the timing. They will just have to stay in training. Even though they were scratched out of the sale, we are confident in them and we will keep going and try to market them privately.”