Ocala Breeders' Sales Company | Horse Racing Free Tips

$1.3-Million Flatter Colt Lights up OBS

Ramiro Restrepo saw off a host of challengers to secure a colt by Flatter for $1.3 million during Wednesday's second session of the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. Restrepo signed for the juvenile in the name of his Marquee Bloodstock and he was purchased on behalf of a group of international partners, including Gustavo Delgado, who will train the dark bay.

The colt was consigned to the sale by Sequel Bloodstock, on behalf of his breeder, Gentry Stable. He is out of Napier (Midnight Lute), a half-sister to Grade I winner Obligatory (Curlin). He worked a furlong last week in :9 4/5.

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Resurgent OBS March Sale Opens Tuesday

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, the first of the spring's juvenile auctions, kicks off Tuesday with bidding on the first of 853 catalogued lots beginning at 11 a.m. The OBS March sale, which transitioned from a select to an open sale in 2015, was held over three days for the first time since 2014 in 2023 and again returns in that expanded format in 2024 after a power-packed renewal a year ago.

“I was really impressed by the number of people who were here watching the breeze show,” said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. “The quality of horse flesh is as good a March sale as we have had in a long time. We seem to say that every year, but the consignors seem to outdo themselves every year and bring better horses. There is a lot of activity on the grounds right now. Horses looked good at the breeze show and they look good at the barns as well. So we are excited about the sale.”

There were five seven-figure juveniles sold at the 2023 March sale, led by subsequent Grade I winner Muth (Good Magic), who sold for $2 million to Zedan Racing Stables. There were 24 horses who sold for $500,000 or more at the auction, double the number from 2022. Those numbers reflect the end result of the auction's change from a select to an open sale, according to Wojciechowski.

“We opened up the March sale about five or six years ago and took it away from being a select sale and made it an open sale,” Wojciechowski said. “I think people now appreciate and understand that March is a larger catalogue. That the guy that thought he was going to get priced out of the market when it was a select sale, now it has been demonstrated over enough years that they can come buy a horse in their price range and be happy with the results. Not only did we need the buyers to see that, but the sellers did as well.”

The OBS April Spring Sale had become much more of a destination sale over the last several years, but Wojciechowski said top-level horses are gravitating back to the March sale.

“When we originally opened it up, some of those [top] horses may have gotten scared and thought they couldn't participate in March,” he said. “I think they are seeing the pendulum swings back and forth and a lot of them went to April. April is a great sale and those horses do good in April, but over the last couple of years, some guys who have made the commitment to send them to March have been rewarded for it. I think they can kind of see, not unlike April, there is something for everyone, both buyers and sellers.”

During last week's under-tack show, a pair of juveniles by first-crop sires shared the fastest furlong time of :9 3/5: a filly by Vekoma (hip 448) consigned by Wavertree Stables and a colt by Tiz the Law (hip 529) consigned by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds.

A filly by Win Win Win (hip 788) consigned by Ocala Stud turned in the under-tack show's fastest quarter-mile breeze of :20 1/5.

With plenty of activity around Ocala Stud's Barn 4 over the weekend, the operation's David O'Farrell is looking for a competitive market this week.

“We weren't really planning on a busy show day, but we were busy showing horses throughout the day,” O'Farrell said Saturday. “I think traffic will be fine. I am optimistic about the sale, there are some really nice horses on the grounds. I think the previous sales have shown that the market is pretty darn good and I think it'll be a good horse sale.”

O'Farrell said strong results on the racetrack should lead to return buyers at the sales. In addition to Muth, multiple graded stakes winner Nysos (Nyquist) and Ocala Stud-bred GIII Holy Bull S. winner Hades (Awesome Slew) also sold in Central Florida last year.

“The 2-year-old sales graduates have performed really well this year,” O'Farrell said. “Basically, 2-year-old purchases have performed really well and our runners are our best advertisement. I don't see any reason that the market isn't going to be very good.”

Despite O'Farrell's optimism, consignor Eddie Woods is expecting to see some familiar patterns emerge at the March sale.

“It's going to be the same old story,” Woods said. “Top end, all the way, they will bring all the money. And you just have to hang on to your hats with the rest of them, I think. There will be some people there for other horses, but that's just the way the sales have been the last couple of years–not just the 2-year-old sales, all sales.”

The March catalogue also includes 40 horses who are part of the dispersal of the racing stock of the late Bob Lothenbach. Consigned by de Meric Sales, Niall Brennan Stables, Tom McCrocklin and Ocala Stud, the group galloped at last week's under-tack show.

Lothenbach passed away last November and the dispersal of his stock began at Fasig-Tipton last month with a digital sale of racing age horses followed by a selection of broodmares and short yearlings at the company's Winter Mixed Sale.

“There are some nice quality horses in there, no doubt,” said Wojciechowski. “The fact that they galloped here, I don't think is having any connotation negative or otherwise other than understanding the situation. Everyone understands the situation under which [the dispersal] is occurring.”

The March sale will be held Tuesday through Thursday with sessions beginning each day at 11 a.m.

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Domestic Product Gives Complexity Filly a Big Update at OBS March

When Domestic Product (Practical Joke) bullied his way through traffic to get his nose in front in the GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby Saturday, he not only earned valuable qualifying points to the GI Kentucky Derby, he also provided a timely update for his half-sister who is scheduled to sell during the first session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales' Company's March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale Tuesday.

“She's been very popular today, let's put it that way,” Becky Thomas said of the filly from the first crop of Complexity (hip 276) after a long day of showing Sunday in Ocala.

Thomas's Sequel Thoroughbreds bred the daughter of Goods and Services (Paynter) and she is consigned under the Sequel Bloodstock banner.

The tote delay that caused the Tampa Bay Derby post time to be pushed back a half-hour did, at least, allow Thomas to get home in time to watch the race.

“I was afraid he was not going to be able to move around because he was in tight there at the end,” Thomas said. “Those kind of horses are so impressive because he obviously had so much horse left, he just needed to be able to go. So it was very, very cool.”

Even before Domestic Product's win at Tampa Bay, Thomas was impressed with his 2-year-old half-sister, who worked a furlong during the OBS under-tack show in :10 flat and had shown even more promise when training over the dirt.

“I really love her on dirt,” Thomas said. “She was a filly that I slated for Maryland May [Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale] and I moved her up here because she was training so good. She's got a really quiet demeanor, so I originally put her for May because she is a big, stretchy filly and I thought I would give her a little bit more time. They kind of tell you when you start breezing them who needs to move up and who might need to move down. But she's been really solid.”

The dark bay filly is one of 19 juveniles by Complexity to work last week ahead of the OBS March sale. The son of Hill 'n' Dale stallion Maclean's Music won the 2018 GI Champagne S. and 2020 GII Kelso S. He stands at Airdrie Stud for a fee of $12,500.

“I am a Maclean's Music fan,” Thomas explained. “I ended up buying a share in [his sons] Drain the Clock and I bred to Jackie's Warrior. I am a John Sikura disciple. When you have those horses who have shown such brilliance and have been a Grade I-siring stallion like him, I really like those kind of horses. And this filly is a big tall leggy, two-turn looking filly that's got a lot of parts. You can see why she can go so fast and you can also see why she should go two turns.”

The large number of juveniles by Complexity in the March catalogue came as no surprise to Thomas.

“We are a land of pinhookers and if we actually bought horses, it's because all of us like the shape of them,” she said. “The fact that there are that many in here and so many of them are pinhooks, they are the type the pinhookers like. They look quick.”

Thomas purchased Goods and Services with the Complexity filly in utero for $37,000 at the 2021 Keeneland November sale.

“I couldn't be at that sale, but [bloodstock agent] Andrew Cary and my assistant Carlos Manresa sent me the link to her,” Thomas said. “So we decided to try on her. But it was all because of Andrew and Carlos.”

The 2-year-old is the mare's last foal.

“Unfortunately, she has passed away,” Thomas said of the mare. “We bred her to Drain the Clock and she was in foal, but she was really very laminitic. Unfortunately, even through our podiatrist, we were not able to keep her comfortable. This is the only baby we got out of her.”

The three-day OBS March sale begins Tuesday at 11 a.m.

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Bevy of Bullets at OBS Thursday

A total of 15 juveniles shared the bullet :9 4/5 furlong work time during the second session of the under-tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale Thursday in Central Florida.

Three of the bullet workers came from the Wavertree Stables consignment: a filly by Nyquist (hip 304) out of High Heeled Girl (Malibu Moon); a filly by American Freedom (hip 400) out of Limitless (Discreet Cat); and a colt by Shancelot (hip 421) out of Magnolias in Bloom (Flatter).

Wavertree also had a McKinzie colt who shared the :9 4/5 bullet time during Wednesday's first session of the under-tack show.

Eddie Woods sent out a pair of colts by WinStar Farm first-crop sires to share the bullet :9 4/5 time.

First up for the consignment was a chestnut colt by Promises Fulfilled (hip 316). Out of Hot Fun (Latent Heat), the Maryland-bred was purchased by the Quarter Pole Enterprises pinhooking partnership for $110,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“I expected him to work well,” Woods said. “He is an amazingly good-looking colt by kind of an off-the-wall stallion, so to speak. I thought he would work really quick and he did. He's been like that from the first time we ever worked him. He just jumps right in there. He's a tall, leggy colt with great angles to him.”

Also working in :9 4/5 Thursday for Woods was a colt from the first crop of champion Improbable (hip 395). The bay is out of Libby's Tail (Tiz Wonderful) and was purchased by Woods on behalf of Michael Rullo for $135,000 at Keeneland September.

“The work was spectacular,” Woods said. “I can't always tell you a big horse like him is going to work in :9 4/5, but we expected a good work from him and he did that and then some. He galloped out great. He's a beautiful, big, long-striding horse. I think a lot of people are going to like him.”

The colt was one of two sons of Improbable to work the furlong in :9 4/5 Thursday. Also sharing the bullet was hip 325, a colt by the WinStar stallion out of stakes-placed Inaugurate (Empire Maker) from the Majestic consignment.

“As yearlings, I thought they were taller, leaner kind of horses,” Woods said of the progeny of Improbable he has seen. “But we had several in training here and they have come along really well. The one thing they do is move beautifully. They get across the ground really well. They are not huge, robust horses, but they are very athletic.”

For the second day in a row, a filly by Munnings from the Niall Brennan Stables consignment worked her furlong in :9 4/5. Hip 229 is out of Firefoot (Tapizar), a half-sister to graded winner Bandbox (Tapit). The 2-year-old, a $125,000 Keeneland September purchase, is a half-sister to stakes-placed Freeburn (Mitole).

A Bullet Bolt for Horseology Partners

Sharing in the bevy of bullets Thursday at OBS, a colt by Bolt d'Oro (hip 422) worked the furlong in :9 4/5 for Katie Miranda's White Lilac consignment. The bay colt is out of Maisie (Stay Thirsty), a half-sister to multiple graded winner Lovely Bernadette (Wilburn).

“The horse has always shown us positive things,” said Miranda. “He's had lovely breezes at the farm all year. I don't think we've ever had a bad breeze from him. And he prepped in :9 4/5 here [at OBS] last week.”

Asked to describe the colt, Miranda said, “He's a tank. He is an absolute tank. He looks like a Quarter Horse and he has muscles popping out of every part of his body.”

The colt was purchased for $150,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July sale by Brian DiDonato's Franklin Ave Equine on behalf of David and Jon Schlosser's Cliff Racing and Miranda and trainer Jena Antonucci's Horseology partnership.

“He was one of our stretch purchases of the year,” Miranda said. “Obviously, partnering with Cliff and Brian allowed that to happen. We had very high thoughts of him from the jump and he's proven it day in and day out. He's just a class act.”

Miranda and Antonucci have been working together for four years and this will be Horseology's second year of pinhooking partnerships.

“We have a good mixture of owners,” Miranda said. “Our big goal is to get new people involved. We do smaller shares to give people the ability to start at just a smaller level because this is an expensive game. We bought 10 [yearlings] for this year. The Bolt d'Oro is one of them. And we've got a pretty big group of owners involved, a mix of owners we have worked with for years and some new ones.”

Also earning the furlong bullet time Thursday: a filly by Caracaro (hip 225) consigned by Cesar Loya Training & Sales; a filly by Honest Mischief (hip 243) consigned by Jesse Hoppel's Coastal Equine; a filly by City of Light (hip 290) consigned by Top Line Sales; a colt by Violence (hip 301) consigned by New Hope AB; a colt by Twirling Candy (hip 398) consigned by GOP Racing Stable Corp.; a filly by Maximus Mischief (hip 418) consigned by Omar Ramirez Bloodstock; and a colt by Volatile (hip 420) consigned by Grade One Investments.

A pair of juveniles shared Thursday's fastest quarter-mile time of :20 4/5: a filly by Uncle Mo (hip 252) consigned by Pick View and a colt by Cajun Breeze (hip 271) bred and consigned by Tom McCrocklin.

While headwinds were a major factor later in Wednesday's first session of the under-tack show, conditions were more consistent throughout the second session Thursday, according to Miranda.

“The headwind yesterday was terrible,” Miranda said. “We probably had a much more consistent track today. They said it was going to be overcast–which to me means you can't see the sun. And there was just one cloud in the sky. Which was annoying just because the track gets so hot and sticky so quick. But the track seemed to play fair all day.”

Of wind conditions, Miranda said, “If anything we had a little bit of a tailwind at times, but definitely not the 12mph headwind people had to deal with yesterday.”

The under-tack show continues through Saturday with sessions beginning daily at 8 a.m. The March sale will be held next Tuesday through Thursday. Bidding begins each day at 11 a.m.

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