Record Colt Paces OBS Finale

OCALA, Fl – The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company June Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age saved its best for last, with a colt by City Zip (hip 926) bringing an auction-record $800,000 during Friday's final session of the four-day sale. Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni secured the record-setter on behalf of Frank Fletcher. The colt was consigned by Stephens Thoroughbreds on behalf of breeder Vicente Perez's Farm III Enterprises.

Despite the record colt, the June sale concluded Friday with figures off from a year ago. During the four-day sale, 621 horses grossed $18,427,900. The average fell 25.1% to $29,675 and the median decreased 27.8% to $13,000. With 197 horses reported not sold, the June buy-back rate was 24.1%.

At last year's sale, 596 juveniles sold for $23,608,500. The average was $39,612 and the median was $18,000.

With a colt by Candy Ride (Arg) leading the way with a then-record price of $680,000, last year's June sale produced 55 six-figure juveniles. Thirty three reached that level this year.

Bloodstock agent Nick Hines was the sale's leading buyer with eight head purchased for $848,000. Eddie Woods led all consignors with 16 sold for $1,094,500.

The results of the final juvenile sale of the year reflected results at auctions throughout the spring, according to OBS President Tom Ventura.

“The market has been fairly solid at the top,” Ventura said. “I think below the top is a little light. And that has been consistent throughout the year and it might be that there is a little more concentration of those type of horses here versus the March and April sales. March would have the highest concentration of those upper-end horses, whereas this sale would have more of the lower-to-moderately priced horses and I think that part of the market is a little light.”

After two years of rapid growth, the June sale was due for a correction, according to Ventura.

“In general, especially in the 2-year-old sales, we had some good years consecutively and now it has flattened out,” Ventura explained. “Last year, it was a little flat after a big jump. The June sale has taken tremendous strides over the last couple of years and it's hard to keep that pace up. The fact that there might be weakness on the lower end is a sign that those buyers are not as active as they once were. If they wanted to buy a horse, they'd be here. Because there would be one that would fit their requirements.”

Ventura thinks buyers may have found some bargains this week in Ocala.

“I think at the end of the day there is going to be some good value coming out of here,” he said. “We like to talk about the million-dollar horses we sell, but there are some fairly inexpensive horses we sell here who will turn out to be really nice horses.”

City Zip Colt Lights Up OBS

The OBS June auction broke out of the doldrums Friday when a colt by City Zip brought a sale-record $800,000 from bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, bidding on behalf of Arkansas-based Frank Fletcher. Hip 926, who worked two furlongs in :21 1/5 during last week's under-tack preview, is out of graded stakes placed Successful Sarah (Successful Appeal) and was consigned by Stephens Thoroughbreds on behalf of breeder Vicente Perez's Farm III Enterprises.

“The horse did everything right,” Lanni said of the sale-topper. “He worked fast and he came back sound. He looks the part.”

Lanni admitted he was surprised by the colt's final price tag, but added, “The good ones have cost a lot more all year.”

Consignor John Stephens knew his colt had garnered all the right attention this week in Ocala.

“We knew he was going to sell really well from the people who were looking at the horse,” Stephens said. “He's a wonderful horse with a great mind. He did everything right. He's a big horse who showed a lot of speed. And everyone who saw him loved him. It wasn't a like, it was a love. He showed himself well every time.”

Stephens also consigned the topper lot at last month's Barretts May sale, a $290,000 son of Candy Ride (Arg), on behalf of Perez.

“We've been doing a little business with them,” Stephens said of Perez. “It's good for everybody. He's a good horse and they're going to be very happy with him.”

Farm III Enterprises purchased Successful Sarah, in foal to Big Brown, for $50,000 at the 2011 Keeneland November sale. The mare produced a filly by City Zip last year and a colt by Verrazano this year.

Another Topper for Perez

Vicente Perez, a leading breeder in Venezuela, began putting together a commercial broodmare band in Ocala about seven years ago and enjoyed a banner day in the sales ring Friday when his colt by City Zip brought a June record final bid of $800,000.

“We actually had a name picked out for him because I thought I might race him,” Perez said of the colt. “Originally, we thought we might sell him as a yearling, but he had some issues and he didn't make the yearling sales. Then I thought maybe I would race him. I even had a name for him. I was going to call him Shared Success. But I discussed it with [consignor] John [Stephens] and I told John, 'Let's give him until June,'–because he wasn't ready for the earlier sales–'and if they don't give us our price, we'll race him.' Because really I am in the business of breeding and selling, not running.”

The youngster is out of Successful Sarah (Successful Appeal), a mare Perez purchased for $50,000 at the 2011 Keeneland November sale.

The colt's final price Friday more than exceeded expectations.

“I was thinking he would bring between $400,000 and $450,000,” Perez said.

Perez was also represented by the top-priced offering at last month's Barretts May sale, when a colt by Candy Ride (Arg) sold for $290,000. That juvenile is out of She's Sensational (Point Given), a mare Perez acquired for $150,000 at the 2010 Keeneland November sale.

“The Candy Ride colt was a beautiful colt,” Perez said. “I actually thought he might have brought more than he did. But the City Zip, I thought would bring less. So they compensated each other.”

In addition to his Ocala mares, Perez has about 135 mares in Venezuela and 35 in Argentina.

“I sell mostly yearlings, but now that I'll have more foals, we'll be able to analyze which will be best to sell as weanlings or yearlings or which will have more potential to mature and do better at 2-year-old sales,” Perez explained. “The amount of foals will allow me to consider all three options.”

Sikura Strikes Again at OBS

John Sikura of Hill 'n' Dale Farm swooped into last year's OBS June auction to sell a Candy Ride (Arg) colt for a sale record $680,000. Just 10 hips after that record was broken Friday, Sikura was back for another score in Ocala, selling a colt by Distorted Humor for $375,000 through the Eddie Woods consignment. Bloodstock agent Christina Jelm, bidding alongside trainer Mike Puhich and owner Mike Waters, signed the ticket on the colt.

Out of Supercharger (A.P. Indy), hip 936 is a half-brother to GI Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver (Maria's Mon), as well as to recent graded stakes winner Cyrus Alexander (Medaglia d'Oro) and a full to graded stakes winner Brethren.

“I would say he is the best-bred horse sold at a 2-year-old sale this year,” Sikura said of the youngster who worked a furlong in :10 2/5 last week.

The juvenile, bred by Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings and Glen Hill Farm, RNA'd for $275,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“I think he is the same kind of horse [he was last September],” Sikura explained. “There were a lot of horses to choose from and he was a little immature and since then we've had activity in the family. Super Saver is a really good sire and Cyrus Alexander is now a graded stakes winner. So all those things bode well.”

Sikura continued, “In this catalogue, this horse stands out. It was a bit of a negative because you had to overcome the stigma of why a horse this well-bred was here. But you have to put the horse first and let them mature at their own level and sell them where they best belong. For this horse to have sold any earlier would have meant that Eddie would have had to push on the horse and he didn't feel that was in his best interest.”

Of Supercharger, Sikura said, “We had a final Smart Strike, she was carrying a colt, but it was a dystocia foal and we had to do a C-section and get the foal. The foal lived for a couple hours and then died, so it was a sad thing. She is back in foal to Curlin. If she has a filly, there is no way that will be in a sale.”

Puhich said the bay colt was purchased for an undisclosed partnership.

“We'll decide later today who is going to have the horse,” the trainer said.

Asked what he liked about the colt, Puhich said, “The pedigree. And we liked the connections where he came from. He looks like a late-developing horse who will get better. Obviously when you buy a horse like that, you're shooting for the moon. He had everything we thought it would take to get there.”

The colt was by far the highest-priced offering of 11 Jelm has signed for this week on behalf of Waters, Puhich and trainer Jack VanBerg, but the price wasn't a shock to Puhich.

“This a great place to be–we think we got a bargain on him,” Puhich said. “That's why we came here, to try to get bargains. Hopefully we're right and it was a bargain. With that pedigree, I think we did great.”

Fastnet Rock Colt to Frankel

Broadway producer Jerry Frankel, bidding on the phone, and brother Ronald Frankel, went to $360,000 to secure hip 1109, a son of Fastnet Rock (Aus), during Friday's final session of the OBS June sale. Consigned by Tom McCrocklin, the youngster is out of the unraced Alone (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a full-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Lush Lashes (Ire). He worked a quarter in :21 flat last week.

Frankel admitted the colt's pedigree was his main attraction.

“He's inbred to Northern Dancer, just like about 15 really top horses I could name, including Songbird and American Pharoah,” Frankel said. “And he is bred very similarly to a filly named Qualify (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). The breeding is very important to me.”

Qualify, out of Perihelion (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), captured last year's G1 Epsom Oaks.

While not attending the sale, Frankel said bloodstock agent Liz Crow gave the juvenile her go-ahead.

“Liz Crow went and looked at him for me and she really liked him,” Frankel explained.

Crow added, “This is a very unique pedigree to find in America and especially at OBS June. Fastnet Rock is one of the top stallions in Australia and to have Galileo on the bottom side is a great combination. He worked one of the best quarters, we thought, in the sale and he is a big strong colt. Jerry and Ron are always looking to add good pedigrees to their stable and he certainly fit that.”

Frankel, who currently has six 2-year-olds in training, added, “He'll go to California and Phil D'Amato will train him.”

Of the youngster's final price, Frankel said, “I thought he would be less than that, but not a lot less.”

The juvenile was bred by Don Alberto Corporation. He RNA'd at $140,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. Alone produced a colt by Giant's Causeway in 2015 and a Hard Spun filly this year.