First-crop Florida sires get chance to shine at OBS October sale

Several of Florida’s first-crop yearling sires, including the hard-knocking Gunnevera, will get a chance for a turn in the spotlight in their adopted home state in the coming week as the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. hosts its October yearling sale.

The OBS sale is set for Tuesday and Wednesday at the company’s headquarters in Florida, as the North American yearling sale season heads toward its finish in what has been a marketplace strong at the top end but selective throughout. Both sessions of the sale are designated as open sessions. There are a total of 713 yearlings cataloged to sell, with an initial catalog of 676 horses bolstered by 37 supplements.

In addition to established sires throughout the catalog, five Florida residents are represented by first-crop yearlings in Curlin’s Honor (Pleasant Acres Stallions), Dak Attack (Ocala Stud), Gunnevera (Pleasant Acres Stallions), Seeking the Soul (Ocala Stud), and Win Win Win (Ocala Stud).

Gunnevera was the highest-earning horse to retire to Florida when he entered stud with a bankroll of $5,561,800 earned over four seasons of racing. His six wins from 21 starts were highlighted by the Grade 2 Saratoga Special and Grade 3 Delta Jackpot in 2016 and the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and Tangelo Stakes in 2017. He also earned six Grade/Group 1 placings, finishing third in the 2017 Florida Derby; second in the 2017 Travers; third in the 2018 Pegasus World Cup; second in the 2018 Woodward; second in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Classic, beaten just a length by Eclipse Award champion Accelerate; and third in the 2019 Dubai World Cup.

Gunnevera has 19 yearlings from his first crop – all but one of those bred in Florida – entered for the OBS October sale. His first crop already made a major splash when he was the stallion with the lowest stud fee, and one of just a handful of stallions standing outside of Kentucky, with a yearling selected for the elite Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale. Direct Dial Bloodstock purchased that colt for $225,000 – more than 37 times Gunnevera’s introductory stud fee of $6,000 that the colt was conceived on. Overall, Gunnevera’s yearling average this year is $47,356 – still more than seven times the conception fee – from nine sold.

Seeking the Soul brought a Grade 1-winning résumé to Florida, as he captured the Clark in the fall of 2017 to highlight his three graded stakes wins. His three Grade 1 placings were highlighted by a runner-up effort to City of Light in the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Overall, he captured 7 of 32 starts and earned $3,470,153. He is averaging $20,333 from just three first-crop yearlings sold this year, more than four times his $5,000 introductory fee. He has four yearlings, all Florida-breds, in this catalog.

Among Florida’s other first-crop stallions, graded stakes winner Win Win Win (average $63,222 for nine sold, against a $5,000 fee) has 10 yearlings cataloged; graded-placed stakes winner Curlin’s Honor (average $33,500 for two sold, against a $2,500 fee) has 17 listed; and stakes winner Dak Attack (one yearling sold for $4,000, against a $2,500 fee) has a pair.

Last year, OBS conducted the October yearling sale with both a designated selected and open session and reported the figures for each as a separate sale, which will make true year-to-year comparisons for this year’s Florida marketplace more difficult. Last year’s select session, led by $210,000 yearlings by Kentucky sires Mitole and The Factor, posted a 12 percent jump in its average from the comparable 2021 session and a 25 percent gain in the median. The open session found tougher going, in keeping with the trend of the selective marketplace, with an 8 percent dip in the average from 2021 and the median down 13 percent. The open session was led by a pair of $110,000 yearlings by breakout Florida sire Girvin, who moved to Kentucky starting with this 2023 season

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