Ghostzapper filly dominates day two of OBS June Sale

Largely confined to the sales pavilion and the back walking ring in an attempt to escape consistent rain showers, buyers were plenty and active during the second session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales June Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale.

Topping Thursday's session and taking the lead as the most expensive horses of the sale to date was hip 653, a $445,000 Ghostzapper filly purchased by Backstretch Farms from the consignment of agent De Meric Sales.

Bred in Kentucky by Meadowview, the filly is out of the Carson City mare Palanka City, winner of the Grade 3 Miss Preakness Stakes who earned just shy of $400,000 and won 11 races. The dam is a full-sister to Quick Action, a stakes winner who also placed second in the Grade 3 Lafayette Stakes.

The De Merics purchased the filly for $190,000 as a yearling from Denali Stud's consignment to the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

"We were thrilled with the price," said Tristan de Meric, who had originally consigned the filly to the Gulfstream Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select sale of two-year-olds in training. Withdrawn from that auction, the filly was pointed toward the June sale in the hopes that more time would allow her ample opportunity to blossom.

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"We knew she was a top filly," said de Meric. "That's why we took her down to Miami in the first place. She just missed the boat down there. We always believed in her, and I'm glad we gave her another chance here and I'm glad they found her here. She's a very special filly, and we wish the best of luck to David (Davila) and we are thankful to everybody who was involved."

The filly was one of 11 juveniles to work a bullet eighth-mile in :09 4/5 during the five-day under-tack show, where she impressed Davila, an Ocala, Florida, native and attorney who owns and operates Backstretch Farms.

"She's the perfect specimen for a filly - balanced all over," Davila said. "The price was a little bit higher than we wanted to go. This is close to our highest-priced purchase. She just looks very balanced and very fast."

Davila said the plan will be to ship the filly to Saratoga racecourse to the barn of Jorge Abreu.

A total of 202 of the 272 juveniles on offer were purchased Thursday for gross receipts of $7,359,700 for an average of $36,434. The median was $17,500. The 70 that went unsold represented an RNA rate of 26 per cent. Comparatively, 168 individuals were sold during last year's session for gross receipts of $4,765,500 at an average of $28,366 and a median of $13,000. The 42 that went unsold represented a buyback rate of 20 per cent.

Cumulatively, OBS has reported 399 sold through the sale's first two sessions, for gross receipts of $13,635,200. The cumulative average is $34,173, and the cumulative median is $18,000. At this point last year, OBS had sold 347 horses for gross receipts of $11,406,500 with a $32,872 average and a $15,000 median. The sale concludes on Friday.

"This is typical June," said Jesse Hoppel of Coastal Equine, which has sold six two-year-olds for gross receipts of $294,000. "There are a lot of horses here. I think there aren't a lot of buyers around, but I think that's the biggest mistake.

"If you do your homework, the best value for horseflesh for your money is right here. Every sale there is a horse that always falls through the cracks, and if you're a buyer, you have to hope that's the one you got a hold of."

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