Average and median climb at OBS sale

Buyers continued a trend of rising prices Wednesday at the final session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March select juvenile sale, where a sale-topping $525,000 daughter of More Than Ready was foremost among eight horses to bring more than $300,000 at the two-day auction.

The sale ended Wednesday afternoon with 171 horses sold for $18,341,000, down 8 percent from last season's total for 206 out of a larger catalog. But average price climbed 11 percent to $107,257 and median increased 17 percent to $80,000. Buy-backs fell, from 43 percent last year to 28 percent.

All together, 108 horses were withdrawn from the two sessions.

Wednesday's session saw a slight increase in gross. Eighty-four horses sold for $9,685,000, up 6 percent from last year's $9,151,000 for 93 horses. Average increased 17 percent, from $88,398 last year to $115,298. The session median of $80,000 was up by 23 percent. Buybacks dropped from 44 percent to 27 percent.

Steve Young, agent, signed the ticket for the $525,000 More Than Ready-Meadow Silk filly at the Ocala, Fla., auction but declined to name his client. The chestnut filly, an April 25 foal, is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner and Grade 1-placed Star Dabbler and is from the family of 2004 sprint champion Speightstown. She worked an eighth-mile in 10.20 seconds at Sunday's under-tack preview.

The Jerry Bailey Sales agency consigned the sale-topper, whose price outstripped that of last year's most expensive 2-year-old, $450,000 El Kingdom.

The session's highest-priced colt was a $425,000 Giant's Causeway out of Twenty Eight Carat that Paul Pompa (Hidden Brook, agent) bought from Tony Bowling's All In Sales agency. The chestnut colt is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner A P Valentine and had covered an eighth-mile in 10.60 seconds.

Wednesday's session also sold three other fillies for more than $300,000. Hip No. 282, a $375,000 Badge of Silver-Silver Bride filly went to agent Patrice Miller of EQB Inc. from Leprechaun Racing, agent. Agent Mark Casse bought Hip No. 221, a $370,000 Malibu Moon-Perfectly Quiet filly, from Old South Farm. And LRK, Inc., paid $325,000 for Hip No. 259, another Badge of Silver filly, this one out of Royal Veagess and offered by Eisaman Equine, agent.

It was a big day for Eisaman Equine. Barry and Shari Eisaman's agency also sold a $400,000 Indian Charlie-Teak Totem colt that Robert Sahn (Stanley Hough, agent) bought, as well as a $325,000 Exchange Rate-Social Scene colt purchased by agent Brian Koriner.

The Wednesday session continued a positive financial trend started at Tuesday's opener, which saw increases in average and median. Tuesday's session sold 87 juveniles for $8,656,000, down 20 percent from last year's $10,820,000 for 113 horses. Average was $99,494, up 4 percent from the $95,752 at last year's opening day. The $75,000 median was up 7 percent from last season's opening-day figure of $70,000.

Buybacks declined from 41 percent in 2009 to 29 percent this season. Fifty-one horses were withdrawn from the session.

Tuesday's session-topper was a $400,000 Smart Strike-Dixie Holiday colt. Kaleem Shah purchased him from the Niall Brennan Stables agency.