Expanded OBS winter mixed sale begins Wednesday

The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. winter mixed sale will kick off on Wednesday with an expanded format, giving the rapidly-growing horses of racing age segment its own day.

Now three days long, the OBS winter mixed sale will be held Jan. 22-24 in Ocala, Fla., with each session beginning at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. A total of 809 horses are cataloged for this year’s edition, which is a growth of 17 percent compared with the 2013 catalog of 693 offerings over two days.

The sale will be divided into three portions, with each on its own day. Wednesday’s opening session will be consignor-select, featuring 254 offerings, while Thursday’s session will spotlight horses of racing age, with 205 horses cataloged in addition to supplemental entries.

Thursday’s session will mark the third year OBS has featured a horses of racing age section for its winter mixed sale. An optional under-tack show for this section was held on Monday, Jan. 21, and Hip No. 440, a 3-year-old Bernstein filly named Burn Control out of the Pivotal mare Essential Fear, completed the fastest three-furlong breeze during the show, stopping the clock at 32.4 seconds. The open session, consisting of 350 horses, will be held Friday.

The OBS Championship stakes races for 2-year-olds, previously held prior to the March sale of selected 2-year-olds in training, will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 22.

Last year’s OBS winter mixed sale was highlighted by its horses of racing age portion, which featured sale-topper Falling Sky. Purchased for $425,000 by Justin Casse, agent, the Lion Heart colt had won two of three starts going into the sale, and went on to win the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes and finish third in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby en route to a start in the Kentucky Derby. Falling Sky finished second to Revolutionary in his first 2014 start on Jan. 11 at Gulfstream Park.

The horses of racing age segment posted a 57 percent gain in revenues in 2013, with 106 horses sold for $1,629,000. The average sale price was up 11 percent to $15,368, while the median rose 18 percent to $8,250.

The preferred segment moved 98 horses for $1,726,900, up 36 percent. The average price declined one percent to $17,621, while the median fell 20 percent to $12,000.

During the open session, a total of 169 horses were sold for receipts of $1,199,600, down eight percent compared with the previous year. Average and median prices also fell, with the average sale price finishing at $7,098, down five percent, while the median dropped seven percent to $4,200.

To access a catalog, click here.