Jesse Hoppel

OCALA, FL - A filly by Triple Crown winner Justify became the highest-priced horse to ever sell at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training when bringing a final bid of $1.4 million from Speedway Stables and the three-day auction continued to produce figures ahead of its record-setting 2025 renewal through its second session Wednesday in Central Florida. Through two days of trade, 351 juveniles have sold for $18,883,000. The average stands at $53,798 and the median at $27,000. Last year's two-day renewal of the June...

Marette Farrell outbattled Donato Lanni in a war of phone bids at opposite ends of the pavilion to acquire a filly by Justify (hip 428) for an OBS June record $1.4 million on behalf of Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner's Speedway Stable. Farrell did her bidding on the phone with OBS's Andrew Fernung sitting in the back of the pavilion, while Lanni was on the phone with Wade Cunningham in the auction stand. Justin Holmberg, sitting directly next to Cunningham, egged his fellow auctioneer on several times during the bidding,...

The 2-year-old auction season, which has set records at each of its major stops this spring, reaches its denouement with the three-day Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale which begins Tuesday morning at 10:30 a.m. "We hope so," OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said when asked if the June sale could continue the company's record-setting streak. "There are a lot of good horses on the grounds. So far, we have seen a lot of activity in the barns. We are always optimistic." The OBS March sale...

A filly by 2024's champion freshman sire and current leading third crop sire Vekoma (hip 876) stole the show Saturday during the final breeze show ahead of next week's Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Consigned by Jesse Hoppel's Hoppel LLC, the New York-bred put up a co-sales best quarter in :20 2/5, one of only two hips to share that bullet across the five days of previews. "In years past, she might have been the perfect type of horse where she breezed so well on the...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm OCALA, FL - With vibrant trade throughout the day, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale concluded its third session Thursday with figures still well ahead of its 2025 renewal and on track for a record-setting gross, average and median ahead of the auction's final session Friday. A filly by Bolt d'Oro became the auction's fourth million-dollar juvenile when purchased by Bill Childs's CSLR for $1.3 million. The session-topper was consigned by Raul Reyes's Kings Equine. Through three of four sessions,...

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training will kick off the juvenile sales season with its three-day run in Central Florida beginning Tuesday. Bidding on the 816 catalogued 2-year-olds continues through Thursday, with sessions commencing each day at 11 a.m. "There is a lot of activity on the grounds and a lot of buzz, so we are looking forward to a good week," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. Consignors who were forced to buy yearlings in a competitive environment last fall hope to be...

A filly by Nyquist and colt by Yaupon realized the co-fastest eighth in :9 3/5 on Day 2 of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March 2-year-old in Training Sale's under-tack show on Thursday. Offered as Hip 391, the day's fastest-working colt is out of unraced Stand Back (Giant's Causeway), the dam of Grade II winner Step Forward (Speightstown). The Florida-bred hails from the family of Grade I winners Cavorting (Bernardini) and Clairiere (Curlin). He is consigned by Raul and Martha Reyes' Kings Equine. "I expected something good, but we never...

TIMONIUM, MD - The under-tack show for the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, delayed a day and an hour by rain storms, opened under gray skies and an intermittent drizzle Wednesday at the Maryland State Fairgrounds as seven juveniles splashed down the lane in co-fastest :10 1/5 furlong breezes. First to hit the :10 1/5 time was a colt by Tiz the Law (hip 189), who worked early in the second of the day's seven sets. Consigned by Wavertree Stables, the bay is out of stakes-placed Janis's Joy...

TIMONIUM, MD - The juvenile sales season makes it annual stopover in Maryland when the two-day Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training opens Monday morning at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. After a rain-interrupted under-tack show last week, skies were still overcast but there was no rain during a busy day of showing for consignors Sunday. "We have had so much foot traffic up to this point so far," said consignor Randy Miles. "Even yesterday, early in the morning in the rain, they were still coming. So...

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...

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company will open its 2023 schedule with the Winter Mixed Sale and Horses of Racing Age which begins its two-day run Tuesday morning in Central Florida. The auction begins at noon with a consignor preferred mixed session of 143 catalogued head, followed immediately by an offering of 148 horses of racing age. Wednesday's open mixed session, which also begins at noon, includes 253 catalogued offerings. "We are excited to be kicking off the year with a good sale," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. "I...

An Ontario-bred filly from the first crop of Grade I winner Collected (hip 317) turned in the fastest quarter-mile work of Tuesday's second session of the under-tack show for next week's Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds when covering the distance in :20 4/5. The juvenile is consigned by Jesse Hoppel's Coastal Equine and represents a pinhooking partnership group which has already enjoyed success with a bullet-working daughter of the GI Pacific Classic winner. Hoppel sent a filly by Collected out to work a bullet quarter-mile at the...