Astrology Filly Tops OBS Finale

OCALA, FL – The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, and with it the 2017 juvenile sales season, concluded with a workmanlike session Wednesday in central Florida. Mandy Pope paid the session's highest price when going to $300,000 to secure a filly by Astrology (hip 631Pope bred the filly and was buying her back after selling her to Tom McCrocklin for $50,000 at last year's OBS August sale.

The June sale, shortened to two sessions this year, saw 424 juveniles sell for $15,216,900. The average of $35,889 was up 23.9% from last year's four-day sale figure and the median jumped 40.7% to $19,000. With 525 horses offered, 98 failed to find new homes for a buy-back rate of 18.8%.

During last year's four-day sale, 619 juveniles sold for $17,930,900. The average was $28,968 and the median was $13,500. The 2016 auction produced a sales record topper when a colt by City Zip sold for $800,000. He was one of 31 to bring $100,000 or more.

A colt by First Dude brought the highest price of this year's auction, selling for $400,000 Tuesday. That colt was one of 36 to bring six figures.

“I think the market here was steady,” bloodstock agent Patti Miller of EQB said. “Some of these horses are re-treads or horses that didn't have as much page, but I think it's nice to see that middle market have some opportunity. What we really need are those people who own a couple horses and love the game and they have the opportunity to buy here. I think this sale has become the new April sale. April has become very strong and I think the prices are very fair here because it's the last stop. I came here with a bunch of little guys who want to play the game. And I think they are important for the game.”

OBS seemed to build momentum throughout its three-sale juvenile season, beginning with a strong-at-the-top March auction before hitting a crescendo with across-the-board action at its record-setting April sale.

Consignor Tristan de Meric was happy to see more activity in the middle market as the season progressed.

“I think at the last two sales here at OBS, the middle and bottom market have reemerged,” he said. “It's gotten much stronger and it has a better feeling in that part of the market. I think the middle market in April was obviously fantastic and it has definitely been better here at June. At this sale, there has been a lot of activity in the back ring. People are here to buy horses and it feels good. It's been a good market this year. We've been lucky to have had a good season.”

Despite de Meric's optimism, several consignors continued to voice concern about a largely polarized, all-or-nothing, marketplace for 2-year-olds.

“It was the same wherever we went,” Eddie Woods, the June sale's leading consignor, said while reflecting on the 2017 juvenile market. “The good horses brought more than you thought they were going to bring and you struggled to move any of the others. That's just the way it has gone with racing in this country at the moment. We're losing a lot of tracks and we're losing a lot of racing. And there is no outlet for them. There aren't that many people who want horses. We've been seeing it coming over the years. April is a fabulous sale because of the whole cosmopolitan feel of the thing. There are people there for horses at every level, from million-dollar horses to $5,000 horses. But if you go to the more boutique sales, like Fasig Gulfstream and even our March sale, there is a lot of money here for the top-end horses and under that you kind of struggle a little bit. April is a better sale across the board for moving horses, but at the same point and time, the big horse brings all the money all the time.”

Of the April market, Woods continued, “There were a few hits in April where some of the guys bought $25,000 and $30,000 horses and got $200,000 for them and maybe even a bit better than that. And that's fabulous for them. But there were an awful lot of horses bought for $25,000 and $30,000 that got sold for $15,000 after six to eight months' training.”

Consignor Niall Brennan echoed Woods's sentiments, while citing a disparity between the demand in the yearling market versus the juvenile market.

“To me, the middle market, as in horses you should be able to sell for $50,000 to $75,000 in a heartbeat, is struggling,” Brennan said. “We're going to go right back in three weeks to a yearling sale and we're going to line up and beat each other over the head to try to buy horses. And $75,000 would be like nothing–we'd be delighted if we could buy them for that. And yet, three weeks back, [at the June sale] we can't sell them for $75,000. There is a shortage of buyers at the 2-year-old sales which doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's a reality. They will be lining up at the yearling sales, people I've never seen before, lining up to buy yearlings, but nobody comes to the 2-year-old sales.”

Looking forward to the yearling sales season, which kicks off in Lexington with the July 11 Fasig-Tipton July Sale, Brennan acknowledged he will be changing his approach to buying this year.

“I will be buying a lot less,” Brennan said. “We've always mixed it up. We've always bought some more expensive ones, too, and I don't think that will change. I think it's still about the quality individual and a horse you like. But I don't think we need numbers. You can't play it as a numbers game because there are just too many of them who are going to be perceived to be in the average category and they are just too hard to sell. I don't think the game is going to change, so my approach is to have less inventory in the 2-year-old marketplace.”

Woods said his focus in the yearling market will be on quality, top-end offerings.

“We are just going to try to buy really nice horses,” Woods explained. “The problem with that is, when you get it right, it's great. And when you get it wrong, it's ugly. I still think, at the end of the day, if you're going to buy $20,000 horses, you better buy 20 of them. And hopefully two or three of them work out. It's like the stock market or anything like that. The bigger the risk the greater the gain if you get it right. And I think that's the end to be in because it's really the only active end of our business. You see it at the racetrack, too. The good end is great. After that it's a real struggle.”

Filly Was in the Stars for Pope

Mandy Pope swooped in late in Wednesday's final day of the OBS June sale to secure a filly by Astrology for a session-topping $300,000. Pope was very familiar with the filly, who she bred and sold to Tom McCrocklin for $50,000 as a yearling at last year's OBS August sale.

Hip 631 is out of Dreamingly (Giant's Causeway), a mare Pope purchased as a juvenile for $600,000 at the 2009 Fasig-Tipton Florida sale. The Astrology filly was the mare's second foal. She produced a Tizway filly in 2016 and was bred to Blame.

“The momma died this year, so that was more reason for me to want to buy this filly back,” Pope said.

Of the bay juvenile, who worked a quarter in :20 4/5, Pope added, “She grew up really nice and obviously she performed well on the racetrack and came through it all great. Hopefully it will turn into one of those super Union Rags stories, where the breeder buys the foal back for a lot of money and it all works out.”

Breeder Phyllis Wyeth famously sold Union Rags for $145,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale only to buy the future GI Belmont S. winner back for $390,000 at the next year's Fasig-Tipton Florida sale.

Pope admitted she went beyond her expected limit on the filly, who she hopes to see race in her colors at Saratoga this summer.

“You know me,” she laughed. “I get a little determined on these things.”

Pope did some window shopping while she was at OBS Wednesday.

“We kind of looked around, but really I came here this afternoon just to buy her,” she said.

Tapit Colt a Pinhooking Score for Kight

Hoby Kight took advantage of the moment at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale when purchasing a late foal by super sire Tapit for a bargain $40,000. The horseman was rewarded when the colt attracted a final bid of $130,000 from K.O.I.D. Co., Ltd. at Wednesday's second session of the OBS June Sale.

“I was surprised to get him for that,” Kight admitted. “I went to October just to see what was there. And he was there. He was little. He's a May baby, almost June.”

Out of Christmas Star (Star de Naskra), the gray colt (hip 582) is a half to Grade I winner Cuvee (Carson City) and graded stakes winner Will He Shine (Silver Deputy), as well as a full to graded stakes-placed Harpoon.

Kight originally targeted the colt at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale, where the youngster worked a furlong in :10 1/5. He matched that :10 1/5 time last week at OBS.

“I had him in the Miami sale,” Kight said. “Greed got me there because he was doing so good, so I took him down there and he got a little tender in his shins. So I scratched him. And it's worked out well because he's matured a lot in the past couple months.”

Kight was pleased with the June marketplace.

“I think for the good horses, it's plenty fair,” he said. “And that is what we want at this stage.”

Asked what his approach to the upcoming yearling sales will be, Kight said, “The same. I want good horses, quality horses and a handful of them.”

Stay Thirsty Colt Makes Most of OBS Redux

When a gray colt by Stay Thirsty out of Sweetest Song (Unbridled's Song) made his first appearance in an OBS sales ring, he was led out unsold for $37,000 in April. His second trip was more memorable after he sold Wednesday for $190,000 to the bid of bloodstock agent Steve Young.

“This horse, we waited on him,” explained John Stephens, who was consigning hip 410 on behalf of his Venezuelan-based breeder SJT Racing Stable. “We didn't break him until mid-January, so he was a horse that was coming along slowly. We had him in April and he still wasn't quite ready. They are very good about giving them time and the horse matured a lot.”

The youngster, who worked a furlong at the April sale in

:10 3/5, came back in June to work in :10 1/5.

“He's a really pretty horse with great balance and a nice easy walk,” Stephens said. “But the thing that really sold the horse was his work and gallop-out and the way he moved on the racetrack.”

Of the juvenile's final price tag, Stephens added, “At this sale, you're never quite sure where they are going to be. People really liked him, but it is such a varied group of buyers. They can really like the horse, but you're not sure what kind of money they are bringing. We felt good taking him up there and somebody bought a really nice horse. That's always good.”

SJT Farm and Juan Pablo Larrazabal purchased Sweetest Song, in foal to Discreet Cat, for $30,000 at the 2012 Keeneland November sale. She produced a filly by Dialed In in 2016 and a colt by Flat Out in 2017. Her Majestic Warrior filly sold for $270,000 at last year's OBS April sale.