Union Rags colt leads the way at Winter Mixed Sale opener

When Ocala Breeders' Sales sales coordinator Chad Johnson inspected foals at Mountmellick Farm in Central Kentucky last year, he suggested that a Union Rags colt in need of additional time to grow would be a good fit for the OBS Winter Mixed Sale rather than being pointed towards an autumn mixed sale in Kentucky.

Mountmellick's bloodstock director Terry Gabriel agreed and during the first session of this year's sale on Tuesday, the just-turned yearling colt was bought by Brian Graves' Blue Sky Stables for $165,000 to top the day's trade that saw solid demand for short yearlings and horses of racing age, but with lesser interest in the mares on offer.

"He was a scrawny horse and was behind (schedule)," Gabriel said of the colt foaled on April 3, 2019. "When Chad looked at the horses at the farm he lobbied for us to bring him here."

Produced from the winning Mr. Greeley mare La Milanesa, the dark bay or brown colt is a half brother to stakes winner Ginger N Rye and from the female family of millionaires and sires Pollard's Vision and Bowman's Band.

The colt developed into a striking individual and looked the part of a future athlete when he went through the ring on Tuesday. He was bred in Kentucky by Mountmellick and was consigned by Gabriel's Louisiana-based Pelican State Thoroughbreds.

"He is a beautiful horse and we thought he would stand out in this environment," Gabriel said.

With 120 horses withdrawn from the session, OBS reported initial figures showing 152 horses of 216 offered were sold for an aggregate $3,227,900, an average price of $21,236, and an $11,750 median. The RNA rate was 29.6 per cent.

The day's session consisted of a mixed consignor preferred segment and a horses of racing age portion, with gross, average, and median prices increasing in both segments over last year.

Brian Graves of Blue Sky Stables signed for the day's top lotCredit: Fasig-Tipton Photos

Stuart Morris consigned two yearlings that fetched final bids of six figures, including the second-highest price horse of the day when Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt privately purchased a Liam's Map filly out of the Malibu Moon mare Stellabymoonlight for $135,000.

Top price of $125,000 during the horses of racing age segment of the sale was paid by Ralph M. Evans for Summer At the Spa, a three-year-old filly from the first crop of Summer Front consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, agent.

Summer At the Spa won her only career start for owner Mike Ryan and trainer Jimmy Toner before she was sold at OBS.

The filly, bred in New York by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds was produced from the Giant's Causeway mare Myself and is from the family of European Horse of the Year User Friendly.

Trainer Jonathan Thomas signed for the filly on behalf of Evans.

"She's a lightly-raced New York-bred that's hopefully going to cycle back into the turf (racing) season," the conditioner said. "She was good enough to win first time out and she's coming out of Jimmy Toner's barn, for whom we have a lot of respect for as a caretaker and Niall (Brennan) sold her, in whom we have a lot of confidence."

The OBS sale concludes on Wednesday with the open session.

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Watch how day one of the OBS Winter Mixed Sale unfolded