Hip No. 793, a Tiznow colt consigned by Bobby Dodd, agent, was purchased for an OBS record of $2.45 million by John F. Moynihan, agent, for M. V. Magnier, at Thursday’s third session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s 2017 Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training.
The price surpassed the all-time OBS record of $1.9 million for the Tapit mare Inheritance, who was purchased by Solis/Litt out of the Woodford Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2015 Spring Sale.
Thursday’s sale topper is out of the Distorted Humor mare Moonbow and brought $125,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. The bay colt worked a co-bullet in :9 3/5 during the April 20 under tack show.
Moonbow is herself a daughter of stakes winner Storm Beauty, who is a half-sister to champion Gold Beauty. The latter mare foaled English Horse of the Year Dayjur and multiple Grade 1-producer Maplejinsky.
Two other juveniles brought seven-figure prices on Thursday.
Hip 778, a More Than Ready filly consigned by Wavertree Stables Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), agent, sold for $1 million to Alessandro Marconi on behalf of Al Aasfa Racing.
The dark bay lass shared the :9 3/5 bullet furlong on April 20 with Thursday’s sale topper and also sold at last year’s Keeneland September sale, bringing $390,000 as a yearling.
The filly is out of the Grade 2-placed Clever Trick mare Miss Mary Apples and comes from the same female line as two-time Horse of the Year and 1978 Triple Crown champion Affirmed.
Hip 899, a bay colt by Union Rags, brought $1 million from Red Baron’s Barn & Rancho Temescal LLC. Consigned by Paul Sharp, agent, the half-brother to Group 2 victress Carinosa is out of the A.P. Indy mare Poco Mas, who is herself a half-sibling to Canadian champion Interpol.
The colt, who worked an eighth in :10 1/5 at the April 21 under tack show, sold for $60,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He comes from the same female family as three-time champion and back-to-back Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1) queen Royal Delta.
On Thursday, 171 juveniles were purchased for a gross $17,397,500, an average of $101,750 and a median of $50,000. Those numbers represent increases of 24.4 percent, 19.3 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively, over last year’s total of $13,987,500, average of $85,290 and median of $48,500 spent on 164 horses sold during the corresponding second session.
The buyback percentage was 13.2%; it was 23.4% last year.
Thus far, 521 horses have sold for $47,382,700, a rise of 24.7 percent compared to the $37,998,500 spent on 494 last year. The average jumped 18.2 percent, from $76,920 in 2016 to $90,946 this year. The $47,000 median showed a moderate gain of 4.4 percent over last year’s $45,000 median.
The sale concludes Friday beginning at 10:30 a.m. (ET). Full results may be found at obssales.com.
