Ocala Breeders’ yearling sale up 13 percent in both average and median

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s August yearling sale’s two open sessions in Ocala, Fla., ended Thursday with strong gains across the board.

The two open sessions sold 397 yearlings for $5,042,000, an increase of 10 percent over last year’s gross for 411 yearlings. Average and median both made significant gains, as both rose by 13 percent. Average went up from $11,201 to $12,700 and median moved from $8,000 to $9,000. Buybacks also declined slightly, falling from last year’s 23 percent to 22 percent.

A $55,000 colt from Old Fashioned’s first crop topped Thursday’s final session. Greg Gilchrist bought the chestnut son of Catspaw, by Storm Cat. Bobby Jones Equine, agent, consigned the colt, a Jan. 24 foal from the family of graded winner Banned. 

The open sessions followed a one-day select session on Tuesday that also rang up increases. The select session average was $43,985, up 17 percent, and its median improved by 8 percent to $35,000, though buybacks also increased from 24 percent to 26 percent.