'I was excited about the horse flesh I saw' - $1.45 million Arrogate colt heads opening day of the OBS Spring Sale

The Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training kicked off at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company on Tuesday, seeing similar results to last year's edition in all statistical markers. The day was headlined by an Arrogate colt, hip 253, who made bidding rise to $1,450,000, with agent Donato Lanni victorious in the end for Zedan Racing Stables.

Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds consigned him on behalf of his Kentucky breeder, Rosedown Racing Stables. This was the first trip through the sales ring for the bay colt out of the unraced War Front mare Destine, a producer of two winners, including the stakes-placed Sunset Promise. Last week during the under tack show, the colt breezed a steady :10 over an eighth mile on the all-weather surface.

Further down the page is the hard-knocking family of champion sprinter Smoke Glacken, Distaff Breeders' Cup Handicap winner Smokey Glacken, and producer Capote's Crown. Lanni was the day one leading buyer by gross with his single purchase.

The session-leading horse came in the afternoon, but the action clipped along from beginning to end at a steady pace.

"A great start to the sale, $1.45 million horse and a lot of horses sold well," said Tod Wojciechowski, director of sales at OBS. "I like to think the strength will continue over the next three days. I feel pretty good about that. There are a lot of good horses left to sell. I say that every time, but it's true."

At the close of business on Tuesday, OBS reported 161 horses sold of the 206 through the ring for gross receipts of $21,603,000. An average price of $135,019 was achieved, and a median of $75,000. A buy-back rate of 22.3 per cent represents the 46 horses who remained unsold.

During last year's first session, OBS recorded that 180 horses changed hands of the 212 on offer for a gross of $22,915,000. That produced an average price of $126,602 and a median of $65,000. An RNA rate of 17.1 per cent accounts for the 31 horses that did not sell.

The first session saw five horses sell to five distinct buyers for $500,000 or more. Those sires included Arrogate (hip 253 - $1,450,000), Bolt D'Oro (hip 215 - $850,000); Twirling Candy (hip 192 - $800,000); Uncle Mo (hip 229 - $675,000); and Constitution (hip 19 - $500,000).

Florida-based de Meric Sales sold ten of its horses on offer Tuesday for a gross of $2,770,000 to be the leading consignor of the first session. Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds followed closely in second with gross receipts of $2,425,000 for three horses sold.

Agent Oliver St Lawrence purchased two for $1,000,000 to be day one's second-leading buyer by gross. He noted the market as typical of a two-year-old sale.

He said; "I think the market is in its usual form. It's strong for the nice horses, really strong. Tattersalls was a bit weak on the first day, comparatively, but some of the nicer horses were on the second day. It was ferociously strong on the second day."

Purchasing for Lael Stables, agent Doug Cauthen echoed much of the same sentiment, saying: "I think it's a typical two-year-old sale where there are gaps, but I think there might be more top horses later on. There seems to be plenty. I have been outbid on a lot already."

Day two continues on Wednesday, with hips 307-612 slated to go through the ring. There were 175 horses withdrawn from the remainder of the sale as of Tuesday evening.

"As I walked around the sales grounds, I was excited about the horse flesh I saw," said Wojciechowski. "I know we have plenty of good horses left to sell. It's hard to compare one day to each year with how the catalogue shapes up. In an open sale, there is no way to stack the deck; you are running off an alphabetical list of dams. The RNA rate will continue to come down as post-sales come into play."

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