Ocala

The North American breeze-up calendar is a busy one, typically offering around 2,500 juveniles for sale over the course of the spring. And while all eyes will be on Ocala this week, American two-year-old buyers in recent years have been rewarded by adding another sale to their calendar: the Arqana Breeze Up. Held this year on May 13, with breeze shows on the 11th and 12th, the catalogue offers 43 two-year-olds by North American stallions, including Accelerate, American Pharoah, Blame, Candy Ride (Arg), Catholic Boy, Curlin, Into Mischief, Justify, Medaglia...

Every morning at 8:30 sharp, 'The Wonder Wheel Show' takes over Casse Training Center in Ocala. Just after the break, the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies champion and newly crowned Eclipse Award winner takes to a freshly groomed track and flies through her paces solo before regular training resumes. "She gets her own set," trainer Mark Casse said with a grin. "She's special." Casse's smile grew even wider Monday morning as he watched Wonder Wheel in action. After a day off on Sunday, the daughter of Into Mischief was enthusiastic...

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's October Yearling Sale kicks off Tuesday with a selected yearlings session, which will be followed by an open yearlings session Wednesday. Tuesday's session gets underway at noon with Hips 1-185 and is followed by the supplements, which are Hips 186-209. Wednesday's session begins at 10 a.m. with Hips 251-660 and followed by a section of supplements, which are Hips 661-684. "We are certainly excited seeing what has transpired in the yearling market so far this year," said OBS's Tod Wojciechowski. "The graduates of this sale...

OCALA, FL - With a significantly larger catalogue this year, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds always figured to eclipse the record gross it set last year, but the three-day auction ended Thursday with, not just that new highwater mark, but also with a sale record median figure. "A lot of horses got sold at a lot of different levels," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said. "That's always a good thing, particularly for the last sale of the year." A total of 653 juveniles sold...

OCALA, FL - The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds opened with a workmanlike session Tuesday as four horses sold for over $200,000, led by a filly by Bolt d'Oro who attracted a final bid of $290,000 from bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, acting on behalf of Greg and Caroline Bentley. In all, 184 sold Tuesday for a gross of $7,107,500. The average of $38,628 slipped 2.4% from last year's opening session, but the median of $25,500 was up 27.5% from the 2021 sales record-tying figure of $20,000. With...

The supplemental catalog for the upcoming OBS June Sale of 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age, featuring an additional 51 lots, is now available in printed form at the OBS sales grounds and online at obssales.com. One horse of racing age and 50 juveniles have been supplemented to the three-day auction and will sell as hips 1061-1100 (2-year-olds) and 1167 (HORA). Six under-tack sessions have been scheduled for the June Sale. Hips 1-187 will work Monday, May 30, hips 188-374 take to the track Tuesday May 31, hips 375-561 will...

Fabrice Chappet trainee and 185,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 yearling and $535,000 Ocala April breeze-up graduate Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}--Onshore {GB}, by Sea The Stars {Ire}) attained 'TDN Rising Star' status with a dominant performance going one mile at Chantilly in September, but had floundered in two subsequent outings before lining up as a 12-1 chance for Sunday's G2 Prix Greffulhe at Saint-Cloud. Second contesting an Oct. 21 Deauville conditions heat in his only other juvenile start, he opened his sophomore campaign with a close-up eighth in ParisLongchamp's Apr. 18...

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis OCALA, FL - With a pair of seven-figure colts leading the way, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds produced a day of strong bidding Wednesday in Florida. During the session, 177 juveniles grossed $25,829,000 for an average of $145,927 and a median of $80,000. Through two sessions, 347 horses have sold for $48,388,000. The two-day average of $139,447 jumped 36% from last year's corresponding figure, while the median of $75,000 soared up 50%. The cumulative buy-back rate is 19.5%. With the...

If you have visited the Ocala area recently, you would have to agree that Florida's horse business is growing by leaps and bounds. The World Equestrian Center, a 378-acre state-of-the-art equine competition venue in its second year of operation, is partially responsible for the influx of horses to the area. Next month, the University of Florida--the state's only vet school--is scheduled to open a world-class hospital located at WEC, offering advanced diagnostics and treatment for equine competitors and companion animals. The hospital will be open to all horses, not just...

The breeze show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's upcoming Spring Sale gets underway Sunday and runs through Saturday, Apr. 16. Hips 1-176 will breeze Sunday; followed by Hips 177-352 Monday; Hips 353-528 Tuesday; Hips 529-704 Wednesday; Hips 705-880 Thursday; Hips 881-1056 Friday; and Hips 1057-1231 Saturday. The Spring Sale runs Tuesday, Apr. 19 through Friday, Apr. 22 with each session beginning at 10 a.m. Hips 1-308 go on the block Tuesday; followed by Hips 309-616; Wednesday, Hips 617-924 Thursday; and Hips. 925-1231 Friday.

A total of 1,231 2-year-olds in training have been cataloged for the Ocala Breeders Sales Company's Spring Sale, to be held Tuesday through Friday, Apr. 19-22 at the auction house's Central Florida complex. Gracing the cover of the 2022 catalog is 'TDN Rising Star' Corniche (Quality Road), who topped last year's renewal on a bid of $1.5 million from Marette Farrell, agent for Speedway Stables, and who went on to cap an undefeated championship season with a victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar. OBS April graduates...

By Christie DeBernardis & Christina Bossinakis OCALA, FL--The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's grounds continued to buzz with activity during a second straight day of very strong trade as the March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale concluded Wednesday. Bidding was fast and furious right from the start with the top horse of the day--and the sale as a whole--coming in the second juvenile through the ring, Hip 318, a colt by More Than Ready, who summoned $1.2 million from Kaleem Shah. A daughter of American Pharoah (Hip 532) also achieved seven figures...