'He was a wow horse' - Gun Runner colt becomes most expensive two-year-old by sire to sell at public auction at OBS

About midway through the third of four sessions of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, a new juvenile moved to the top of the results table when Donato Lanni, agent for Zedan Racing Stables went to $2.2 million to land a son of record-breaking sire Gun Runner.

The colt is the most expensive Gun Runner two-year-old ever sold at auction. 

"He was a wow horse; Amr [Zedan] loved him, absolutely loved him," Lanni said. "He wanted the horse, needed him. We loved everything about him and did not want to go home without him. Amr is a very serious man, and he's very passionate about the business. He loves his horses and the game and wants to win those classic races. He loves American racing and America; he's a great guy and great for the game. The whole team loved the horse. We couldn't go home without him."

During the under tack show last week, the precocious bay sped an eighth-mile in :10 1/5.

"He performed very well and looked good doing it," Lanni noted. "He had a great gallop out and was fast for the size horse he is. He had a lot of speed, and it's nice to see a horse of that much size by Gun Runner. He looked like a two-turn route horse and showed it here; he's got gears."

Consigned by de Meric Sales, agent, the colt (hip 782) is out of stakes winner Perfect Wife by Majesticperfection. The colt is a full-brother to Perfect Wife's winning first foal to race, Grade 3-placed filly Runaway Wife.

Further down the page under the third dam is Hollywood Turf Express Handicap winner Jungle Prince; the versatile son of Sir Cat was Grade 1-placed twice on the dirt.

Bred in Kentucky by Fern Circle Stables, the colt initially sold last year for $430,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Yearling Sale, where de Meric Sales purchased him from the Gainesway consignment.

Gun Runner: sire sensation was responsible for the top lot on the third day of the OBS Spring SaleCredit: Edward Whitaker

"We stuck our necks out a long way on this one, but he affected all of us the same way," consignor Nick de Meric commented. "We just felt he was a special one. We were all there when we bought him [as a yearling], and it was a ton of pressure. That [pinhook price] was really out of our comfort zone, but we all felt so strongly about this horse, and we had a couple of partners on him, so no one shouldered the whole load."

De Meric added: "He always did everything right. He is a horse with a great mind and loves his job. He is a horse that we were lucky to have in the barn."

Thursday's third session recorded 158 horses sold of the 214 through the ring for gross receipts of $21,001,000. An average price of $132,918 and a median of $66,000 was made. The buy-back rate was 26 per cent, representing the 56 horses who did not meet their reserve.

During last year's third session, OBS reported 176 horses changed hands of the 206 on offer for receipts of $23,744,500, good for an average price of $134,912 and a median of $61,000. An RNA rate of 14.6 per cent accounted for 30 horses that did not sell.

Session three's leading consignor De Meric Sales sold four horses for gross receipts of $2,780,000. The Florida-based consignor is also the leading consignor for the past three days, with gross receipts of $6,989,000, accounting for 26 head sold.

Seven horses sold for over $500,000 and included sires Omaha Beach (hip 617 - $550,000), Uncle Mo (hip 682 - $675,000), Into Mischief (hip 777 - $575,000 and hip 793 - $500,000), Gun Runner (hip 782 - $2,200,000), and Blame (hip 786 - $700,000 and hip 883 - $550,000).

During the past three days of selling, 520 horses have been traded of the 647 on offer for gross receipts of $67,706,000, good for an average of $130,204, and a median of $65,000 was established. A buy-back rate of 19.6 per cent represents the 127 individuals who failed to meet their reserve.

At this point last year, 551 horses had sold of the 637 to go through the sales ring, for a total of $73,294,000, resulting in an average price of $133,020 and a median of $70,000. A buy-back rate of 13.5 per cent accounted for 86 horses that did not sell.

With The Gulfstream Sale, Fasig-Tipton's Select Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training, being cancelled and leaving a void on the yearly juvenile sales calendar for a select sale, buyers are recalibrating their quotas for each sale.

"I think the buyers are confused; they don't know where to go," Coastal Equine's Jesse Hoppel commented. "The two-year-old sales market now lacks a select sale, and it doesn't give you direction to where these middle market horses are going to be, where the expensive horses are going to be; they're scattered. These horses give the public an idea of where to go for the right horses."

"It was an exciting day with a $2.2 million horse; he was a beautiful horse," Tod Wojciechowski, director of sales for OBS, said. "It's very exciting, and we will keep marching on to Day 4.

"We have been very pleased with the March sale being good; it seems like that momentum has carried on through April. We set records last year, and here we are bumping up against them; it feels good and is a testament to the strength in the market right now."

The final day of the sale, April 28, will have hips 919-1222 on offer, beginning at 10:30am. As of Thursday afternoon, 73 horses had been withdrawn from the final session.

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