de Meric Sales

Luis Gavignano's involvement in horse racing, which began innocently enough with a few claiming horses at Laurel Park in 2017, has blossomed into a racing, breeding and pinhooking operation with its own burgeoning home base in Ocala. His Lugamo Racing, with a dozen broodmares to support its graded-stakes winning first-season stallion, as well as a new stakes winner among its 10 horses in training, will offer 14 juveniles at the upcoming Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. Gavignano traces his love of horses back to his...

Following the fireworks that ensued with the sale of a record-setting $3-million Gun Runner colt earlier in OBS's Thursday's session, a pair of juveniles surpassed the $1 million in quick succession. Hip 721, a filly by Maxfield brought a final bid of $1.25 million from Marquee Bloodstock, while only a few hips later, a colt by Nyquist drew $1 million from Shannon Potter, bidding on behalf of Epic Horses. Out of All in With Aces (Quiet American), the half-sister to GISW Hard Aces was consigned by de Meric Sales. She...

A 2-year-old colt by freshman sire Yaupon attracted the top bid of $250,000 during the Fasig-Tipton February Digital Sale which concluded Tuesday evening. A total of 157 horses sold during the online auction for a gross of $4,965,400, an average of $31,626 and a clearance rate of nearly 80%. Fasig-Tipton offered a selection of 2-year-olds in training for the first time on its digital platform during the February sale and eight of the 13 offered juveniles sold for $585,000 and an average of $73,000. Two of the sale's top six...

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. To follow are the horses entered for Saturday at Saratoga and Ellis Park: Saturday, July 20, 2024 Saratoga 1, $100k,...

OCALA, FL - The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training got a late boost from its supplemental section when a colt by Uncle Mo brought the top price of $375,000 during Friday's final session of the three-day auction. The 2024 June sale concluded with numbers just a tick off the sale's 2023 renewal. A total of 582 2-year-olds grossed $21,386,800 during the three-day auction, with the average of $36,747 down 2.2% from last year's figure and the median held at $20,000. Ramon Morales purchased Friday's session...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis OCALA, FL - With a $1-million Authentic colt early in the session and a $1.8-million Win Win Win filly late in the day, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds matched its 2023 number of five seven-figure juveniles and the auction concluded its three-day run Thursday with another strong renewal. "Overall, it was a terrific sale and we are looking forward to April," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. Through three sessions, 446 horses sold for $66,437,600. The average of $148,963...

"It's a really difficult thing, to let go of something that you've spent your whole life building," acknowledges Nick de Meric. "I don't know if 'letting go' is quite the right way to put it. But to actually cut that umbilical cord, it's a leap of faith." The Ocala horseman, who reflected on a colorful past in yesterday's TDN, now turns his attention to the future. For the evolution of a successor program, parallel to his own, makes the de Meric family a particularly pertinent case study for our series...

Coming late in the proceedings, Hip 353, a daughter of Bolt d'Oro, realized the top price of $135,000 during the opening session of the OBS October Yearling Sale in Ocala Tuesday. Offered by agent Richard Kent's Kaizen Sales, the half-sister to recently stakes placed Yatta (Yoshida {Jpn}) is out of Final Reward (Arch), a half-sister to MSW Leadem in Ken (Sky Mesa), SW Prissy (Unbridled's Song) and GSP Hint of Roses (Tapit). The filly was purchased by de Meric Sales, who also led the session as its leading buyer. An...

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at both Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. To follow are the horses entered for Saturday at Ellis and Del Mar: Saturday, August 5, 2023 Ellis 2,...

A colt from the first crop of Solomini (Curlin) (hip 41) and a filly by Noble Mission (GB) (hip 39) shared the quarter-mile bullet of :20 3/5 during the first of six under-tack sessions ahead of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Monday in Central Florida. Hip 41 turned in his :20 3/5 quarter-mile breeze shortly after the day's 7:30 a.m. start time for consignor Omar Ramirez. "He prepped really, really good for me," Ramirez said. "I didn't know it was going to be :20...

TIMONIUM, MD - With a $1-million filly leading the way, the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale concluded its two-day run at the Maryland State Fairgrounds with statistics close to its record-setting 2022 renewal. "It was a great two days in Maryland," Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sales Director Paget Bennett said Tuesday evening. "There was plenty of competition for the horses people wanted. The ones they want, they all go to battle on." At the end of Tuesday's session, 375 head sold for $34,795,500. The average was $92,788--down just 2.7% from...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis OCALA, FL - For the third straight day, the team of Bob Baffert and Donato Lanni, acting on behalf of Saudi businessman Amr Zedan, made the highest bid of the session, this time going to $2.2 million--top price of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training sale so far--to acquire a colt by Gun Runner from the de Meric Sales consignment as the Spring sale continued to produce figures largely in line with its record-setting 2022 renewal. Through three of four...