Quality Road colt tops final day of 'solid' OBS Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale

The crowd at Friday's final session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training came for the horses but stayed for the fireworks.

In a day full of action, two horses exited the ring as the stars of the show, having surpassed seven figures in their asking price.

OBS reported 157 horses sold from 191 offered Friday for gross receipts of $18,332,500. The median price was $50,000 and the average was $116,768. At the same session in 2019, 155 horses were sold for gross receipts of $16,728,000 at an average of $107,923 and median of $50,000.

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Totals for the four days of sale came to $58,701,000 for 630 horses sold from 778 offered. The cumulative average was reported at $93,176 and the median was $50,000. The 148 that went unsold brought the total RNA [reserve not attained] rate to 19 per cent.

During the 2019 sale, 674 individuals were sold for receipts of $72,945,000 at an average of $108,227 and median of $60,000.

"Considering what we've all had to deal with and where we were two months ago, I think it was a solid sale," OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski said.

"We finished on a high note and actually sold more horses today than we did last year, which is impressive considering last year was such a record-breaking year for us. Ultimately, it looks like we're off roughly 20 per cent, and I think if you had told us that before the sale started it would be like that, then we probably would have taken that. I think we're also having a record number of post sales as well.

"All in all, it seems like it took everyone some time to get back into the rhythm of things, and I think we really hit our stride today. It feels good to get it done. I think, all in all, it went pretty smooth."

The session-topper Friday was hip 1018, a $1.25 million colt by Lane's End stallion Quality Road out of the A.P. Indy mare False Impression. Bred in Kentucky by KatieRich Farms, the colt is a half-brother to stakes winner and Grade 1-placed Standard Deviation. He was previously purchased for $240,000 by Golf 19/20 from his breeder at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale.

Consigned by Wavertree Stables, the colt was signed for by bloodstock agent Ben McElroy on behalf of Arman Shah. He had worked a quarter-mile in :20 3/5 during the under tack show.

"We bought a very nice colt the first night, but this colt, we liked him equally as much," McElroy said. "We've had luck with the sire before, and he's bred on a similar cross to Bellafina. So when Kaleem and Arman came the first day of the sale, they really took to this horse. I think ultimately this was their pick of the sale, so they had to stretch.

"Based on some of the others that sold late Wednesday night, I knew he was going to be expensive. It's definitely a very sticky market for the consignors. If they just miss a touch, it doesn't look like there is anyone there. But I think the elite horses have brought what they always have. There are a lot of smart people shopping for horses here."

The colt was the third purchase made in Shah's name during the Spring Sale. Total receipts for Shah's horses came to $2.35m.

It was another strong day for Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree, which also sold a $725,000 colt by California Chrome late in the day to West Bloodstock for Repole Stable and St Elias Stable. Consigned as Hip 1298, the colt out of the Unbridled's Song mare Diva Style was bred in Kentucky by JSM Equine.

Diva Style is a daughter of the Tiznow mare Tizfiz, also the dam of Florida Derby winner Tiz the Law, the current points leader on the 2020 Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Hip 1298 breezed a quarter-mile in :20 3/5 at the under tack show.

"He's the second foal out of a young Unbridled's Song mare. He breezed well and galloped out good," said Jacob West, who signed the winning ticket. "And we liked the pedigree of his dam being a half-sister to the perennial favourite for the Kentucky Derby. There are a lot of hoops these horses have to jump through, and it seems like he did it, so we're happy to get him.

"That price was about what we thought he would bring. We were getting to the end of our rope, to be honest, but he was a nice horse and he vetted good. I know they were tempted to sell him as a yearling, but they brought him here to market himself, and it happened to be the right time."

Wavertree ended the day as the leading consignor with 17 individuals sold for receipts of $3,718,000.

Lighting up the bid board late in the day Friday was Hip 1312, a speedy son of WinStar Farm's Speightster consigned by Tom McCrocklin, agent. The colt named Fortunate Son lived up to his moniker when he was purchased by Larry Best's OXO Equine for $1.1m via phone.

"He's all the superlatives you always hear," McCrocklin said. "We came to the sale very high on the horse. When we started breezing him, we thought he was special, then we brought him here. Then I've run my mouth so much I've regretted it, but he showed up and got it done. At the end of the day, you should let the horses do the talking, and we're very proud of him."

Bred in New York by Danzel Brendemuehl Classic Mares, the colt is out of the multiple stakes-placed Indian Charlie mare Auspicious, a half sister to Bashford Manor Stakes runner-up Flatter Than Me. McCrocklin paid $110,000 for the youngster when he was consigned by Royal Bloodstock Sales to last year's Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale in Saratoga Springs.

During the under tack show, Hip 1312 breezed a quarter-mile in :20 4/5.

"The final price wasn't a surprise," McCrocklin said. "When you get horses that are that popular like that - well, you never know, but we had a feeling."

Despite the high price tag for his Speightster colt and the overall median and average for the final sale session, McCrocklin said he has lingering concerns about the ability of the market to bounce back in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, which continues to affect the global economy.

"I'm worried about our industry, I'm worried about our country, and I'm worried about our economy," McCrocklin said. "No one saw it coming, and there is nothing we could do about it. We did the best we could, so we're just blessed to have a horse like that."

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