$875,000 Into Mischief colt tops final day of OBS Spring Sale

The final moments of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale remained as frenzied and competitive as the first. The largest juvenile auction in the world ended with a renewed sense of hope that a return to pre-pandemic normality, if not already here, is a reality that can be achieved in the not-too-distant future.

"We've had a wonderful run and I thank the Lord for that," said Nick de Meric of de Meric Sales, who ended the four-day auction as leading consignor with 40 horses sold for $8,144,000.

"Things aligned this time. Things don't always work that why, which is why it makes it all the more poignant when it does. We're very, very grateful for a wonderful sale."

As of Friday's conclusion, 167 horses had been sold during the final session for $19,056,000 at an average of $114,108 and median of $65,000. In all, 28 horses went unsold for a daily RNA rate of 14.4 per cent. In 2020, 159 horses were sold during the same session for $17,364,500 at an average of $109,211 and median of $50,000.

In total, OBS reported 723 horses sold for gross receipts of $73,907,900 - a record for the April sale. The average for the four-day sale was $102,224 and the median was $50,000. The 110 horses that went unsold represented a cumulative RNA rate of 13.2 per cent.

"A very good sale," said OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski. "We went in with high hopes and certainly the sale didn't let us down in that regard. The buyers showed up and the sellers brought quality horses to market. It was a good couple of weeks.

"We got very lucky with the under tack show. It seemed like we experienced four seasons in one week. Fortunately, the surface we have allows us to conduct the under tack show even in inclement weather and provide a safe, dry surface for everybody. The quality of horse flesh and the quality of buyers was pretty obvious."

While the slow easing of travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic certainly helped bring more buyers to the grounds, Wojciechowski said there continued to be a strong buying presence on the internet as people become more and more comfortable with the system.

"I think we saw an uptick in online bidding. Part of that I think is that as real restrictions ease, people's comfort with it increases," said Wojciechowski. "While there may have been some people here earlier in the week that may have had to leave, they could still keep bidding using online.

"Online bidding is something that was a necessity, and it's one of those things that had we not had Covid, I don't know if we would have got to internet bidding and now all the sales companies have it, and it's very successful."

Topping the final session was Hip 1039, a colt by Spendthrift Farm's leading sire Into Mischief out of the Medaglia D'Oro mare Loveofalifetime, who was purchased for $875,000 by Jacob West on behalf of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Whitehorse Stables.

Consigned by de Meric Sales, the trip through the ring on Friday was the second in just under a month for the youngster and the third overall in his lifetime. At the end of March, the colt been entered in The Gulfstream Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select two-year-olds in training sale, where he RNA'd for $750,000. He was also sent through the ring at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2020 with Gainesway, where he RNA'd for $600,000.

During the OBS Spring Sale, the colt worked an eighth-mile in :10 flat.

"This the third time we've been able to buy this horse," said West. "He was for sale as a yearling and was at the Miami sale, now he's back here. He made our shortlist in September, but we didn't pull the trigger then. We followed the horse in Miami and had to give a little more money here for him, but, physically, he was one of the best horses in the sale.

"I thought his breeze was unbelievable. He's by a stallion that needs no introduction and out of a cross that works with a Medaglia D'Oro mare. He's potentially a stallion type and that is what Eclipse is looking for and Mr [Bob] LaPenta is looking for. He fit the mould for what we were wanting."

The sale was an especially poignant one for breeder Tami Bobo and her husband, Fernando De Jesus, who recently lost the colt's dam. The final price was just a confirmation that their determination to find him the right buyer at the right sale was the best they could have made for his future.

"We're happy with this," said Bobo. "We went to Miami and we really believed in the horse all year and thought we would be able to connect the dots there, but unfortunately, the stars didn't align. We came back here and luckily the horse showed how sound and forward he is. With a stallion's pedigree, it's anyone's game. He can be any kind of horse.

"His sister [Into Mystic] is a great filly, so it's thrilling to sell a homebred that well. It makes it exciting. We believed in him all along and figured sooner or later the dots would connect. Today's the day. We're blessed. Hopefully, they'll have success with him and he'll go on."

Bobo said the mare did produce a Speightstown filly before passing, and that she will likely remain on the farm instead of being sold at auction.

"We will keep her in the family and she will become a broodmare for us," said Bobo. "She won't be offered at public auction. The family is pretty strong and mamma left us a filly for a reason."

Once again the most comforting statistic for buyers and consignors on the grounds was the buying power that seemed to be partaking in the sale at every level.

With the middle market receiving a boost from domestic interests and filling the gap that has been historically filled by international buyers, such as the Koreans and Japanese, Friday's session ended with a sense of elation that the success of the juvenile sales will help feed the rest of the season and bring buyers back through the end of the year.

"It looks good and it looks competitive," said bloodstock agent Justin Casse. "It's always competitive for ones at the higher end, but it seems solid all the way around though, and I'm happy with that. The sales in Europe were very good so I think it's been a really good spring overall.

"What that means is that we'll have good yearling sales and when you have good yearling sales, you have good mixed sales. The two-year-old sales are usually the catalyst for how the rest of the year is going to go, so I'm happy to see that."

"It's the premier two-year-old sale in the world," Wojciechowski added. "One of the things that I think gets lost is that nobody sells more two-year-olds over more days and breezes more two-year-olds over more days anywhere in the world than OBS.

"Consignors bring quality horses here and those horses go on to do their jobs at the racetrack and win at the highest levels. I think that's the meat and potatoes of it."

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