The catalog for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training is now available at the OBS website at www.obssales.com.
The 2023 iteration of the March Sale has been lengthened to three days and will take place Monday through Wednesday, Mar. 20-22, with sessions beginning at 11 a.m. daily. Hips 1-278 will be offered Mar. 20, Hips 279-566 on Mar. 21 and hips 567 through 833 on Mar. 22.
Under-tack previews will take place over the course of four days, Mar. 14 (hips 1-208), Mar. 15 (209-416), Mar. 16 (417-624) and Mar. 17 (625-833). All breeze shows are scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. and will be streamed live at the TDN website.
The March Sale cover is graced by 2019 graduate Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah), back-to-back winner of the G1 February S. and currently among the probables for the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup Feb. 25. The half-brother to recently crowned champion turf female Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) sold for $475,000 and has amassed earnings north of $3.4 million with seven wins–six in black-type company–from his 13 career starts.
The March sale, whose graduates have been on the board in no fewer than 340 stakes races–90 graded–since 2021 also claims as alumni last year's GIII Holy Bull S. hero White Abarrio (Race Day); the fleet Speed Boat Beach (Bayern); and GIII Nashua S. hero Champions Dream (Justify), a top chance in Saturday's GIII Sam F. Davis S.
OBS will again offer Online Bidding during the March Sale. Buyers will be able to go to the OBS website and register to gain bidding approval, then access the OBS Bidding Screen with their credentials. For complete information on registration and online bidding please go to the OBS website: obs-online-bidding.
A selection of wildcard entries have been added to the Tattersalls Online December Sale, which opens for bidding at 12 noon on Wednesday, Dec. 14 and closes from 12 noon on Thursday, Dec. 15.
The additional entries are highlighted by a trio of Point-to-Point performers from Sunday's meeting at Borris House. Colin Bowe's Milestone Stables present Clody Flyer, an impressive winner of the Five-Year-Old Gelding's Maiden by two and a half lengths. The son of Sholokhov comes from the family of multiple Grade 1 winner Nil Desperandum. Finishing second was debutante Grass's Jet who will be offered by Johnny Kinsella's Fairview Stables. Also entered in the sale is Doonbeg Don who placed second on his debut in the Four-Year-Old Gelding's Maiden for Tom Keating.
Another promising Point-to-Pointer to be added to the catalogue is Paul Gilligan's Lincoln Burrows. The son of Dylan Thomas finished third at Quakerstown behind What's Up Darling, who subsequently sold at the Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale for £280,000 to Gordon Elliott Racing.
The supplementary entries are in addition to a strong catalogue which includes a breeding right to phenomenal young sire Havana Grey, a half-sister to Classic winner Cachet, and an own sister to Group 1 Caulfield Cup winner Durston.
Details of all available lots can be found at tattersallsonline.com and further enquiries can be made to Tattersalls or directly to consignors, whose contact details are available on the Tattersalls Online website should prospective buyers wish to arrange inspections of any lots prior to the sale. All enquiries regarding the breeding rights should be directed to tattersallsonline@tattersalls.com.
Since 1958, the Head family has been raising champion Thoroughbreds at Haras du Quesnay, just a few kilometers from the Arqana sales ring. But now, with the passing of the family patriarch, Alec Head, and the sale of the historic nursery, the family's colors will fly for the last time at the December Breeding Stock sale, with the complete dispersal of the Heads' bloodstock interests.
Le Quesnay will offer 48 broodmares, fillies and foals during the sale.
“It's a big bunch of horses, and it's sad to see them going,” said Vincent Rimaud, Quesnay's Stud Manager. “On the other hand, it's nice to look after them. A decision was taken to sell them in Arqana because we're here, we're in France. We're 10 miles away from the site, and we've always sold there. And while a lot of these horses will stay in France, a few of these mares will attract international clients.”
In fact, the first through the ring, lot 31, Perle d'Auge (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), figures to be one of the stars of the dispersal. She is a half-sister to the 2022 G3 Prix Minerve winner Eternal Pearl (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Her third dam Pearly Shells (GB) was the G1 Prix Vermeille winner, who produced the dam of G1 Matron S. Winner Pearls Galore (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Her 2022 filly by Intello (Ger) is also being offered as lot 329.
“Three years ago, we bought Perle d'Auge as a maiden in Arqana and we got her in foal to Intello (Ger) and she gave us a beautiful filly that we would sell. And the pedigree has moved a lot since we bought this mare with Eternal Pearl and with Pearls Galore.”
An emotional sale figures to come with the last foal from Trevise (Fr), the dam of two-time G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Treve (Fr), who died during this foaling. The filly by the late Le Havre sells as lot 166 on Saturday.
“Of course, we have Treve's family,” said Rimaud. “We have the sister to Treve by Le Havre and she's a very nice filly. She's a good mix of Le Havre and her dam. The mare died this year, giving birth to this filly, so she was raised under a nurse mare, and of course, Le Havre died also. So, it's a bit of a sad story, but there's also very beautiful potential there as a broodmare and hopefully a nice race mare before that.”
Treve's half-sister Toride (Fr), who has already produced the black-type runners Lady Day (Fr) and Maximus (Fr), is offered on Saturday as lot 197 in foal to Zarak (Fr), Europe's leading second-crop sire, who stood this year at Haras de Bonneval for €60,000.
“We have Toride, which is a sister that has already produced two black-type horses and she's in foal to Zarak, and it is the right time to be in foal to that stallion to go to the sales. She's a nice mare. And we are also taking down her fifth foal, which is a Persian King (Ire) colt, a very nice colt, and we've been very fortunate with this family.”
The exact future of Quesnay remains unclear; part of the land has been sold off to create the new Haras de Beaumont across the road from the main section of Quesnay, and Rimaud says that there will still be Thoroughbreds raised on the remaining land. But after 20 years of working for the Head family, he admits there will be more than a bit of sadness when the hammer falls on the final lot through the ring on Tuesday.
“There are plenty of people working here and some of them have been working here for a very long time,” he said. “And I think that we will have two different feelings. If they sell well, if they go with nice breeders into good hands, we will be happy about the job done. And I guess at the end of Tuesday night, when we sell the last number, we will feel a bit sad, of course. That will happen. All of these horses that are going to the sales, they were born here in those foaling stables over there,” he says, waving his hand across the iconic Quesnay yard. “And I was there for most of them.”
Four wildcards have been added to the Tattersalls November Online Sale, which begins Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 12 p.m. and closes 24 hours later.
The newest entries are headed by the 4-year-old Apollo One (GB) (Equiano {Fr}), who is being offered by Peter Charalambous and James Clutterbuck's Pond House Racing. Already a four-time winner at the races, the chestnut most recently validated 100-30 favouritism in the Unibet London Sprint Series final at Kempton Nov. 9, earning a shade more than £41,000 for the victory. Rated on 96 following the effort, Apollo One is an invited runner for the Bahrain Turf Series 2022/2023.
Also among the newest additions are Gary Moore Racing's 4-year-old Barn Owl (GB) (Frankel {GB}), twice victorious and placed a further four times in his career; Dreams Delivered (Ire) (Morpheus {GB}) from Darren Bunyan's Blackmiller Stable who has won on turf and all-weather at a variety of distances; and Cheese The One (GB) (Outstrip {GB}), a two-time winner during the month of September and produced by a sister to listed winner Go Angellica (GB) (Kheleyf).
These newest entries are in addition to a strong catalogue which already includes a breeding right to standout young sire Havana Grey (GB) and a share in Almanzor (Fr).
