Online bidding bolsters OBS July Sale opening session

While the weather may have been warmer and the crowd on the grounds a little lighter, Tuesday's opening session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales July Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age got off to a solid start—thanks in part to internet bidding.

OBS reported 147 horses sold Tuesday from 218 offered, for gross receipts of $4,788,800. The average price was $32,577 and the median was $13,000. The 71 horses that went unsold represented an RNA rate of 33 per cent.

During the 2019 June Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age, OBS reported 204 horses sold from 263 offered for receipts of $6,119,500 during the opening session. The median was $17,500 and the average was $29,998. The 59 that went unsold represented an RNA rate of 22 per cent.

Rescheduled to from its original June slot due to Covid-19 concerns, the introduction of online bidding during the OBS Spring Sale in June allowed for greater remote participation from buyers who continue to be wary of travel.

"It was a solid start," said OBS sales director Tod Wojciechowski. "Obviously we had some nice horses go through and sell well. We saw an uptick from yesterday in the online bidding registrations.

We sold 15 today online and 16 people online were direct underbidders. Sixty-four horses were bid on via the internet. We had a good number of accepted internet bids - almost 200."

Tuesday's session was topped by Hip 15, a filly by Shackleford named Shack's Lil Mishap. Consigned by Coastal Equine, agent, the filly was bred in New York by James Doyle out of the Indian Charlie mare Peace Queen. She was purchased for $375,000 by Donato Lanni, agent, on behalf of an undisclosed client.

Coastal Equine's Jess Hoppel said the filly's early success made him cautiously optimistic for the rest of the week.

"I think the (Fasig-Tipton July) Horses of Racing Age Sale in Kentucky slowed down some travel plans for some people who might have hung around up there looking for horses," said Hoppel. "It's quiet, but there are more people here today than before.

"We've had guys come in overnight and even though there are a lot of horses catalogued, there aren't many here because there are a lot of scratches. We don't really have a choice at this point. We just have to move forward and see what we can do."

Reaping the benefits of online presence was David O'Farrell of Ocala Stud, who sold three horses via the internet early Tuesday, the most expensive of which was a $250,000 colt by Not This Time purchased by Breeze Easy.

Consigned as hip 103, the colt was bred in Kentucky by Woods Edge Farm out of the Cape Town mare Running Creek and is a half sister to stakes winner Softly Lit. Breezing a quarter-mile during the under tack show, the colt worked in :21 1/5.

"We're thrilled with the price," said O'Farrell, who explained the colt had originally been catalogued to the OBS March Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

"Obviously, Not This Time is a hot commodity right now and there is a lot of buzz about his offspring. This horse has done really well. We bided our time and I advised the owners to wait and see how things played out. For us, the horse not only blossomed but then Not This Time caught fire as well. We're very pleased with the result.

"The sale hasn't been very well attended, but I was pleased to see that we sold three horses from three offered and they all sold on the internet.

"That was interesting and comforting to see that is working and reaching buyers, and that buyers are participating. With the recent virus cases spiking in Florida and travel restrictions put in place, I'm happy we're able to have the sale. We're fortunate that we're able to be here and get horses sold."

"There have been some strong prices today," said bloodstock agent Marette Farrell, who purchased a $340,000 Honor Code colt on behalf of Speedway Stable. Consigned by Dark Star Thoroughbreds, the colt was one of only a handful to break the six-figure mark.

Young stallion Not This Time is making a good early impressionCredit: Taylor Made Stallions

"Obviously we always want to pay less. But the market is strong for those few horses that are very nice," said Farrell. "The standouts are making plenty of money and that has been the trend, for the past several years at the sales, but most especially this year. The standouts are definitely making their value and their money.

"Unfortunately the hard part of the sale is selling what is perceived as the 'ordinary' horse or the 'not-so-elite' horse. But nobody is right about that. We bought (Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner) Storm the Court here at OBS for $60,000 last year and he was perceived not to make the grade.

"That doesn't mean they're not a good horse, it's just the perception. There are good horses here that are going to fall through the cracks for sure."

With the sale set to run through July 16, Wojciechowski said he is hopeful that the session will continue to improve through the week.

"I sound like a broken record a bit but we're dealing with strange times for sure," said Wojciechowski. "The Covid-19 situation is still a factor and still in play, as much as we'd like to forget it, it's still there. I think it'll get better as we go."

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