Solid’ Opener to OBS Spring
by Jessica Martini and J.M. Severni
The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, which enjoyed record-setting renewals in 2013 and 2014, got off to a measured start Tuesday in Ocala. With 163 horses selling for $9,642,700, the average fell 7.9% to $59,158, while the median was up 5% to $42,000. A year ago, 186 head sold for $11,952,500.
“I thought it was a solid day,” OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said Tuesday evening. “It’s a little hard to make comparisons day-to-day, from year to year. There were a lot of horses who brought good prices today and we are pleased with where we are now.”
Sales officials and consignors alike look for the market to heat up during the auction’s next three sessions.
“We would like to see the average up, but let’s give it some time over the next three days,” Wojciechowski said. “There are still 900 head to go–it’s a marathon not a sprint. I know we have a lot of good horses still left in the next three days.”
With 300 head catalogued for Tuesday’s session, 73 were withdrawn and 64 horses failed to meet their reserves for a buy-back rate of 28.2%. Last year’s first session, after the inclusion of post-sale transactions, had a buy-back rate of 17.7%.
Trainer Steve Asmussen, bidding on behalf of Carrol Castille’s Whispering Oaks Farm, purchased the session’s top-priced lot when going to $280,000 for a colt by Flatter from the Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds consignment. The youngster was one of seven to top $200,000 Tuesday. During last year’s opening session, the top price was $550,000 and there were nine lots over $200,000.
The OBS Spring sale continues Wednesday through Friday with sessions beginning daily at 10:30 a.m.
Consignors Look for Momentum to Increase
by J.M. Severni
Many consignors noted that, although the market was steady throughout Tuesday’s opening session, they expect the momentum to build in Ocala through the week. Some also noted a weakness in the lower market.
Consignor Eddie Woods referred to the market as “very tricky.”
“The Koreans aren’t playing like they did in the past, so they not cleaning up,” Woods continued. “But even the top end is not as strong as I expected it to be. From my own point of view, my strongest part of the sale was far from today and we’ll get much stronger as we go along and, hopefully, so does everything else.”
De Meric Sales ended the day as the session’s top consignor with 12 head sold for a gross of $875,000 De Meric sold a few of the day’s higher-priced lots, including hip 58, a Smoke Glacken filly out of a half-sister to GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up My Miss Sophia (Unbridled’s Song) that went to bloodstock agent Steve Young for $220,000 and hip 281, a gelding by Katharos, who fetched $225,000 from Young.
“I think the market is fine,” Nick de Meric explained. “Any time you lead a good horse up here, they’re standing in line for them. I think it’s a little stickier in the bottom tier, there’s maybe not quite so many people and the mesh isn’t quite as fine for those less expensive horses. Having said that, I think they’re probably close to true value. I don’t know what the numbers will look like at the end of the day, but I think it’s been a very fair and very honest sale and good horses are selling well.”
De Meric also believes the sale will gain steam as the week goes continues.
“I think, if anything, it will probably gather a little momentum going forward,” the consignor said.
Young, who along with his de Meric consignment buys, signed the $80,000 ticket for hip 110, a colt by Zensational, and went to $50,000 to secure a Trappe Shot filly in hip 194, also thinks the sale will pick up after the opening session.
“There’s a definite ceiling as to how much money is here,” Young offered. “I think it’s probably going to get much stronger from here on out.”
Colt ‘Flatter’s Hartley/DeRenzo
by J.M. Severni
Almost midway through Tuesday’s opening session of the OBS Spring Sale, the hammer dropped at $280,000 for hip 161, a colt by Flatter. Trainer Steve Asmussen signed the ticket on behalf of Carrol Castille, owner of Whispering Oaks.
The Ohio-bred is out of MSP dam Mrs. Debbie M (War Chant), who has produced three winners from three starters.
Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds, which purchased the colt for $87,000 at Keeneland September, consigned the colt. He breezed in :10 1/5 at the under-tack show.
“I felt that we could bring quality here and they’d bring good money, said Randy Hartley. “I think Steve will be excited.”
Asmussen commented, “I think he’s an outstanding individual. I think he’s well kept, he looked great. Obviously, I loved his work, he looks like a racehorse. I liked him as an individual, I think he has an outstanding physical, and hopefully he does good things.”
Asumussen, who currently trains GSW Street Story (Street Cry {Ire}) and SP Indian Annie (Indian Charlie) for Whispering Oaks, said the colt will be headed to Churchill Downs. Castille, the owner of several telecommunications companies, is a native of Louisiana. He founded Whispering Oaks in 2001 and the farm is currently home to six stallions, headlined by Closing Argument and D’Wildcat.
Flatter will be represented in the GI Kentucky Derby by Ralph Evans and WinStar Farm’s Upstart.
Zetcher Looks for More OBS April Success
by Jessica Martini
Owner Arnold Zetcher and trainer Simon Callaghan, who purchased subsequent Grade I winner Fashion Plate (Old Fashioned) at the OBS Spring sale two years ago, were back in action in Ocala Tuesday, with Callaghan signing the ticket at $250,000 for a colt from the first crop of Archarcharch.
“We loved him,” Callaghan said of hip 137. “We loved his preview (10 1/5). “He is a very well-grown, mature 2-year-old. And he looks like he’ll be top-draw at Del Mar.”
Consigned by Ciaran Dunne’s Wavertree Stables, the juvenile is out of K. O. Kitty (Tale of the Cat) and is a half-brother to multiple stakes placed Syriana’s Song (Indian Charlie). He was purchased by Ballysax Farm for $62,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July sale.
On behalf of Zetcher, Callaghan purchased Fashion Plate for $340,000 at the 2013 Spring Sale. The filly went on to win the 2014 GI Santa Anita Oaks and GI Las Virgenes S. and was sold to Katsumi Yoshida for $1.2 million at last year’s Fasig-Tipton November sale.
“We’ve been lucky in the sale for the same owner, so hopefully this will be another one,” Callaghan acknowledged. “He was a colt we really liked.”
Before Del Mar, Callaghan has more pressing business for Zetcher. The Zetcher-owned Firing Line (Line of David), runaway winner of the GIII Sunland Derby, is on course for a start in the May 2 GI Kentucky Derby.
“Firing Line is doing great,” Callaghan said. “He is going to do his last breeze at Santa Anita Sunday morning. It will be an easy five-eighths. His last breeze was great and he has come out of it really well. And everything is so far so good.”
Pioneerof the Nile Colt to Kimmel
by Jessica Martini
Trainer John Kimmel, bidding on behalf of Tobey and Mike Morton, paid $270,000 for a colt by Pioneerof the Nile during Tuesday’s opening session of the OBS Spring sale. Consigned by Paul Sharp, hip 273 is out of stakes winner and graded stakes placed Princess Belle (Mr. Greeley). He worked in :10 2/5.
“The horse, to me, just looked like a nice athletic individual by a very hot young sire,” Kimmel said. “I think he has a lot of top-side potential. He checked all the boxes, he is a beautiful mover, I really liked his athleticism, his look and his walk. I am actually very interested in the way a horse’s head and eye look and the horse just, to me, had the look of a real athlete. Some of the best horses I’ve bought over the long time I’ve been doing this, I hope this horse falls into that same pattern.”
The colt was the second juvenile Kimmel has purchased for the Mortons this year.
“He was in the business a long time ago,” Kimmel said of the Boca Raton-based Morton. “He’s had some horses and he is just getting involved again. We bought a Bernardini filly (hip 522) for $325,000 at the March sale. So they have two really nice horses and we might buy another one. He’s playing at a fairly high level and he’s a great person to train for. He’s looking to get in and play in New York at the highest end of the business. Hopefully we can buy him horses with value and not overpay.”
Sharp purchased the Pioneerof the Nile colt for $130,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October sale. The youngster was a $120,000 Keeneland November weanling.
“I’ve been a fan of Pioneerof the Nile from the beginning and we’ve tried to buy a few of them from his first couple of crops, but we failed to get close to a horse that I thought was real quality,” Sharp said. “This horse came up and I just liked the way he carried himself. He fit my type of horse, basically. We stretched a little for my budget and bought him and he did everything I could have asked of him. He was a little slow to come and we didn’t push him and gave him all the time that we could. That’s why he ended up at this sale instead of down in Miami. He was just a magnificent horse, very poised and classy. I think he has a great future ahead of him.”
Echoing a sentiment which seemed prevalent during Tuesday’s session of the four-day auction, Sharp said, “I think the market is very good for good horses right now. You can’t pass a mediocre horse off as a good horse. The buyers are very sophisticated and everybody has the idea of what they are looking for and if you don’t have that you have to hope another buyer comes along to bid for you.”
Strong Start for Archarcharch
by Jessica Martini
Archarcharch (Arch), winner of the 2011 GI Arkansas Derby, was represented by his biggest sales result to date Tuesday in Ocala when hip 137 sold for $250,000. The seven-year-old stallion stands for $9,000 at Spendthrift Farm. Going into Tuesday’s sale, he had had nine 2-year-olds to sell this year and had been represented by a pair of six-figure juveniles, with a $120,000 colt leading the way at Barretts March sale. His sales yearlings averaged $27,766 a year ago, with top price of $130,000.
“I think any result that demonstrates ability and precocity in a stallion certainly helps,” said Spendthrift Farm General Manager Ned Toffey. “We’ve seen it before that good results at 2-year-old sales move the needle a little bit in terms of selling seasons. And this was a big number at that sale, but more importantly is how Archarcharch has been so favorably received in the market and that good overall impression is a credit to our breeders who have embraced the share the upside program.
This was a wonderful first step in a stallion being made.”
Spendthrift’s share the upside allows breeders to breed with no stud fees owed until a profit is shown at public auction.
Of Archarcharch’s 2015 book, Toffey said, “He has a very strong, full book this year. I think that is a reflection of how solid and consistent his yearlings were. And as good as his yearling crop from last year was, we are really, really excited about his yearling crop to come.”