A bit of everything at OBS winter mixed sale

As the North American breeding season rapidly approaches, the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. winter mixed sale provides one of the final opportunities for breeders to add to their broodmare band for the season via public auction. But that’s not all that will be on offer during the eclectic two-day sale, which also offers a solid contingent of yearlings and horses in training.

The mixed auction takes place Tuesday and Wednesday. OBS will kick things off with a consignor-select session consisting of 186 horses on Tuesday morning. That will be immediately followed by the section for horses of racing age, comprising hips 187 to 303. A little more than half the catalog, 338 horses, will then round things out in the open session on Wednesday.

The weanling market was strong at November’s major sales, and continued demand for that crop as yearlings was evident at the Keeneland January sale of horses of all ages in Kentucky. A solid contingent of yearlings will be on offer at OBS, including offspring of prominent first-crop sires such as European champion Air Force Blue, Preakness Stakes winner Exaggerator, Grade 1 winner Exaggerator, Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Tourist, Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Tamarkuz, and Australian champion Vancouver.

Young Florida stallions represented include Jess’s Dream, the only son of Hall of Fame racemare Rachel Alexandra, with a dozen from his first crop in the catalog, and classic-placed Ride On Curlin, with one youngster cataloged.

There are two yearlings from the second crop of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah – a filly out of Grade 2 winner Renee’s Titan and a colt from the family of the classic winner’s sire, Pioneerof the Nile.

OBS will conduct an under-tack preview show Monday on its all-weather surface to showcase the eclectic group of horses in training on offer. Among those is Conquistador, who sold for $2.45 million at the OBS spring sale of 2-year-olds in training but has yet to win in three starts. Now 4, the Tiznow colt will again take a trip through an OBS auction ring.

Also on offer in the racing-age section are Noble Commander, who finished third in last year’s Federico Tesio Stakes; Midnight Curfew, a maiden special weight winner in January at Aqueduct; Ohio-bred stakes winner Pure Justice; and Massachussetts-bred stakes winner Miss Wilby.

There are 20 juveniles on offer, including representatives for Carpe Diem, Chitu, Fast Anna, Golden Ticket, Lea, and Medal Count, all among this year’s highly anticipated class of freshman sires.