The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company kicks off their 2021 season Tuesday with the two-day OBS Winter Mixed Sale. Tuesday's session starts with a 183-head consignor-preferred session which will be immediately followed by a 120-head Horses of Racing Age session. Wednesday's open session consists of 354 horses and is a mix of broodmares and short yearlings. Both sessions start at 10:30 a.m.
Those numbers include late supplements. The supplemental catalogues will be available on the grounds and those additional horses will sell immediately following the original catalogue.
“We are cautiously optimistic,” OBS's Tod Wojciechowski said. “We have a good book of yearlings and mares, as well as some nice racing age options. We saw some bright spots in [Keeneland] January and hopefully some of those bright spots carry down here.”
Covering stallions include Enticed, Collected, Speightster and Tapit, as well as Florida-based stallions, such as St. Patrick's Day, Khozan and Girvin. Short yearlings on offer include the offspring of such stallions as Accelerate, Always Dreaming, Bolt d'Oro, Constitution, Into Mischief and Mendelssohn.
During Monday's under-tack preview of the auction, a pair of colts shared the fastest three-furlong work of :32 2/5.
Load to Fire (More Than Ready), hip 306, an unraced 4-year-old colt, worked his :32 2/5 three furlongs for consignor Woodard Sales. Hip 315, an unraced 3-year-old colt by Distorted Humor, worked in :32 2/5 for consignor Oscar Brown Stables.
Four horses enter the Winter sales ring off recent wins on the racetrack. Pledge (Candy Ride {Arg}) (hip 360) broke her maiden by 6 1/2 lengths at Turfway Park Jan. 2; Kramden (Kitten's Joy) (hip 362) won at Tampa Bay Downs Sunday; Bear Brian (Tiznow) (hip 368) broke his maiden on debut at Sam Houston Race Park Jan. 9; and Lower for Longer (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) (hip 370) broke her maiden at Tampa Bay Downs Sunday.
The 2020 renewal of this auction generated $4,957,800 of turnover from 359 transactions with an average of $13,810 and median of $7,000. The sales-topper was a $165,000 yearling colt by Union Rags, who was purchased by Blue Sky Stables.
OBS will continue to implement COVID-19 safety protocols and provide online bidding.
“We are still committed to trying to provide the safest environment possible,” Wojciechowski said “We will continue with the COVID protocols we initiated last year. In addition, there will be a mask mandate for inside the building and the back walking ring. It is obviously something we have to deal with. That is one reason the online bidding was implemented, so buyers unable or unwilling to travel can still shop.”
The sale will be streamed on the TDN homepage. Click here for the full catalog.
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