Solid Opener to OBS April

OCALA, FL–The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's April Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds sale got off to a good start Tuesday in Central Florida with steady trade and an increase in average and median over last year's opening session.

A total of 151 of the 210 juveniles offered sold for $15,083,000 compared to last term's opening session, when 185 of 222 youngsters to pass through the ring sold for a gross of $15,675,700. The average was up 17.8% from $84,734 to $99,887 and the median increased 14.6% from $48,000 to $55,000.

“We are off to a good start,” said Tom Ventura, OBS President. “I am very pleased with how the day went. There was a lot of concern about how the buyers would react to the day that was affected by the weather on Monday's breeze show. The times were a little slower than the rest of the week. We do have a sophisticated buying base here and the results showed that. Our top five horses sold to five different buyers and there was good activity below that.”

Fifty-nine 2-year-olds failed to sell for an RNA rate of 28.1%.

At the close of business during the 2017 opening session, 53 horses failed to meet their reserves for a buyback rate of 23.9%, but after post sales were included, the buy-back rate fell to 16.7%.

The session was topped by an $800,000 Quality Road filly (hip 95) purchased by Frank Fletcher Racing. She was consigned by Eddie Woods, who was Tuesday's leading seller with 11 horses bringing $2,040,000. Alex and JoAnn Lieblong bought the day's highest-priced colt in Hip 144, a $550,000 son of freshman sire Strong Mandate from the consignment of Randy Miles.

“The market seems fine,” Miles said after the colt went through the ring. “I've had four horses sell so far and they all sold except for one. I think it is a good market. We've had some big ticket items sell, so it seems fine. We were a little worried early when we first got started. I'm having a good day so I'm not complaining.”

Ten juveniles brought over $300,000 compared to 2017 when only five surpassed that number.

Selling continues Wednesday through Friday with sessions beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Fletcher Strikes for Quality Road Filly

Arkansas businessman Frank Fletcher, who has been a major factor in absentia at recent OBS sales, was on hand to personally sign the ticket at $800,000 to acquire a filly by Quality Road during Tuesday's first session of the April sale.

“I've been buying colts down here for years and I decided I needed to get on the other side of the track a little bit and buy some ladies,” Fletcher said. “She looked very good.”

The dark bay filly (hip 95) is out of Betty Brite (Medaglia d'Oro), who is out of a full-sister to Tiznow. She was consigned by Eddie Woods and worked a quarter during last week's under-tack preview in :22 flat.

Fletcher, whose business interests include the Fletcher Auto Group, purchased a colt by Into Mischief for $400,000 at last year's OBS April sale and set a then-record at the June sale in 2015 when going to $575,000 for another son of the same sire.

“I haven't been here personally in two or three years, but I've bought a lot of horses here,” Fletcher said. “I haven't been here since they started remodeling, but I love Ocala. This is a great place and hopefully I'll be able to buy two or three more horses at the sale.”

He continued, “We are excited. It's always a gamble, it's a gambling business. But it's a fun business and I travel all over the country going to races–it's what I do for fun.”

Bred by John Gunther, Eurowest Bloodstock and Celebre Investments, hip 95 RNA'd for $190,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. After the buy-back, bloodstock agent Pete Bradley purchased a 50% interest in the filly from Gunther.

“She just kept getting better all along,” Bradley said of the filly. “Eddie Woods and Angela did such a great job with her because she was backwards when we bought her. The frame was there and she had the natural talent, but they got her to be what she brought.”

Of the filly's final price tag, Bradley said, “We knew she would sell well, but that was more than we had expected.”

Quality Road, sire of last year's Eclipse champion 3-year-old filly Abel Tasman and champion 2-year-old filly Caledonia Road, was also represented Tuesday in Ocala by hip 127, a bay filly from the King's Equine consignment who sold for $310,000 to Susan Moulton. —@JessMartiniTDN

Lieblong Strikes For Strong Mandate Colt

Alex Lieblong had his eye on Hip 144, a son of freshman sire Strong Mandate, before he ever stepped foot on the sales grounds and he was the last man standing at the end of a spirited round of bidding at OBS Tuesday to take the juvenile home for $550,000.

“I liked everything about him,” the Arkansas native said. “Anyone that can work :10 flat in that wind is a big step above. Bo [Hunt] breaks a lot of my horses, so when I am buying something off Bo I have complete faith. He did a great job with him and I got to watch the horse train. They've done right by the horse all along.”

As for the price, Lieblong said, “I'll be honest with you, I thought he'd go a little higher, but I'm glad he didn't.”

Lieblong plans to send his new purchase to Ron Moquett, who was seated alongside the owner when he signed the ticket.

“Ron will probably get that one,” said Lieblong, who campaigned Grade I winners The Big Beast (Yes It's True) and Embellish the Lace (Super Saver) with his wife JoAnn. “I have to make sure I don't hurt anyone's feelings if I say that too quick. He's had a little illness, but he is getting over that, so this might speed up his recovery.”

Hip 144 is from the first crop of GI Hopeful S. winner Strong Mandate (Tiznow), whose offspring have proven quite popular in the sales ring. He was represented by an $825,000 filly at last term's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale and a $775,000 colt at last month's OBS March sale.

“I love him,” Lieblong said of the young stallion. “He's by Tiznow and I saw him when he won at Saratoga. For a Tiznow to be able to do that early, it pumps me up a little bit because I know the Tiznows are good later on, but when they start doing that early, it shows me a little more athleticism.”

Consignor Randy Miles expressed similar sentiments about the Three Chimneys stallion.

“We've had three at the farm this year,” he said. “They are all good, big, rugged horses and seem precocious. I like them.”

Miles bought Hip 144 through his Royal Flush Racing partnership for $60,000 at last term's Fasig-Tipton October sale. Bred by Robert Lail, the dark bay is out of Callous Effect (Majestic Warrior) and hails from the family of Grade I winner Pharma (Theatrical {Ire}).

“We stretched to buy him as a yearling because we liked him so much,” Miles said. “We bought him from Brandywine at the October sale. We got him home and we have loved him ever since.”

While Miles was not surprised by the colt's final prize, he was shocked when he saw who the buyer was.

“Bo works on these horses and Mr. Lieblong is a client of ours,” Miles said. “We had no idea he was going to buy this horse. He fooled us. He watched the horse on the farm and saw him here at the barn, but when I saw he was signing the ticket, I was shocked. It was a good surprise. It's nice when your own people have faith in you, and he does. He has a lot of faith in what Bo does for him.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Daisy Dukes Produces for Eisamans

Barry and Shari Eisaman enjoyed sales success as breeders Tuesday in Ocala when a colt by Big Drama sold to Klaravich Stable for $475,000. The Eisamans bred the juvenile (hip 245) under their Eico Ventures banner out of the mare Daisy Dukes (Ghazi).

“We've had that mare since she was a weanling, so everything that she has done has been for us,” Barry Eisaman said. “She's been a good mare. She's retired now.”

Daisy Dukes is also the dam of Japanese stakes winner Surplus Singer (Songandaprayer). Her Big Drama colt, who worked a furlong in :10 flat last week, was a standout, according to Eisaman.

“He is an outstanding prospect,” Eisaman said. “They got a wonderful, wonderful race prospect. That was a generous amount of money, but I think Big Drama might have been something that would maybe have held some people back. But this is a superior athlete. He's fast, healthy and correct.” —@JessMartiniTDN

He's Had Enough Juveniles Proving Popular

The first crop of juveniles by He's Had Enough (Tapit), runner-up in the 2012 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, are turning heads in the sales ring this spring. Lane's End Bloodstock, on behalf of West Point Thoroughbreds and Robert Masiello, went to $370,000 to secure hip 276 from the Grassroots Training & Sales consignment and about an hour later bloodstock agent Gary Young purchased a gray colt (hip 305) by the stallion for $320,000.

“He's had a bunch of good-moving horses,” Young said of He's Had Enough, who stands at Woodford Thoroughbreds for $5,000. “I tried buying the one that Grassroots had earlier that was really nice and Ciaran Dunne had one at Barretts that was nice. The one that Ciaran had at Barretts and this one here were grays. The one that David McKathan [of Grassroots] had that I tried to buy about an hour earlier was chestnut. But they are good, long-striding horses. They don't look like they are going to be 5 1/2 furlong horses.”

Dunne's Wavertree Stables sold a colt by He's Had Enough (hip 40) for $160,000 at last month's Barretts Spring Sale.

Of hip 305, who worked a quarter last week in :21 3/5, Young said, “I just really liked this horse. He looks like Tapit. And He's Had Enough looks like Tapit. We'll see.”

Consigned by Eddie Woods, the gray colt was purchased by Quarter Pole Enterprises for $40,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July sale. He is out of Elizabits (Forestry), a half-sister to the dam of graded stakes winner Onlyforyou (Malibu Moon).

Grassroots purchased hip 276 for $62,000 at the Fasig July sale. The chestnut, a half-brother to stakes wiinner Discreet Lover (Repent), worked a furlong in :10 flat last week.

Asked if he was surprised to have to pay that much for a son of the young stallion, Young said, “Before the 2-year-old sales started I would have been surprised, but there are other people who can tell you, he throws a good-moving horse. He was a nice horse as a racehorse, but he throws a nice-looking horse and a nice-moving horse. I hope we get to prove that right in about five months.” —@JessMartiniTDN