Friends Lake filly brings $300K at OBS

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A $300,000 filly by first-crop sire Friends Lake was a highlight Thursday afternoon at the final session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's spring 2-year-old auction in Ocala, Fla.

Trainer Linda Rice, acting as agent, purchased the daughter of Trix City. The Eisaman Equine agency sold the chestnut filly as Hip No. 1211. Her dam was a winner by Carson City and has produced one starter, Mr. Charmer (by Silver Charm), who has yet to win but has finished second. Hip No. 1211 breezed a quarter-mile in 21.20 seconds at the under-tack preview.

Eisaman Equine purchased the filly for $20,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

Hip No. 1211 was one of six horses who sold for $100,000 or more by 5 p.m. Thursday. The session's highest-priced colt by that point was Hip No. 1114, a $185,000 Roar of the Tiger colt that Ahmed Zayat's Zayat Stables bought from Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds, agent. The bay colt is out of the Successful Appeal mare Successful Verdict and had never gone through the auction ring before.

Other purchases above the $150,000 mark on Thursday included a $170,000 Cuvee-Wacissa colt that International Equine Acquisitions Holdings purchased from Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stable agency. The colt, a half-brother to the winner Courting Seattle, had worked an eighth of a mile in 10 seconds at the under-tack preview. He last went through the auction ring at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton July yearling sale, where he failed to reach his reserve on a $69,000 bid; he previously sold as a weanling for $40,000 to Ted Campion, agent, at the 2006 Keeneland November mixed sale.

Topped by a $400,000 Storm Cat colt, Wednesday's penultimate session saw gains in all categories.

John Fort of the Peachtree Stable public partnership group bought the session topper, who also remained the top-priced horse at the auction by late Thursday afternoon. The Storm Cat colt is a bay son of Grade 1 winner Nany's Sweep and is a half-brother to graded winner She's Indy Money. Offered as Hip No. 761, he was the only juvenile by Storm Cat in the four-day auction's catalog and worked an eighth-mile in 10.20 seconds at the under-tack show.

Stephens Thoroughbreds consigned the sale leader on behalf of Vision Sales, which paid $200,000 for him at last year's Keeneland September yearling sale.

Wednesday's session grossed $6,407,000 for 193 horses, an increase of 21 percent over last year's total for 198 horses. The session's average price also rose by 24 percent, from $26,736 to $33,197, and median ticked up 6 percent, from $16,000 to $17,000. But buybacks also increased, climbing from 26 percent to 28 percent.

Aussie sale beats expectations

Part two of Australia's William Inglis & Son's Easter select yearling sale in Sydney was not on a level with the record-breaking part one, which ran from April 20-22. But part two - held Thursday for the first time and consisting of just one session - outperformed the company's expectations when it produced a top price of about $258,500 for a son of Shamardal.

"That was way beyond our expectations," Inglis bloodstock director Jonathan D'Arcy said after the colt sold to an Inglis agent representing unidentified clients from Hong Kong. "It proves that you can sell quality yearlings after the main sale and still be well rewarded."

The colt is out of the Salt Lake winner Salty Sal, who already has produced two winners, by Noverre and Fuji Kiseki.

The inaugural part two session grossed about $8,933,290 for 117 yearlings. The average price was about $76,352, and the median price was about $65,800.

The day's leading buyer was trainer Anthony Cummings, who said most of his 17 purchases totaling approximately $1,891,280 were bought on behalf of Nathan Tinkler's Patinsack Farm.

Smarty Jones glass a popular item

The Kentucky Equine Humane Center is selling a 2004 Kentucky Derby glass signed by the connections of the winner, Smarty Jones, with all proceeds to benefit the center.

The glass is listed on eBay, where bidding ends on April 30. The glass, donated by author Linda Hanna, is signed by Pat Chapman, who bred and owned the champion colt with her late husband, Roy; jockey Stewart Elliott and trainer John Servis; and stallion manager Sandy Hatfield at Three Chimneys Farm in Lexington, where Smarty Jones now stands at stud. The glass also is signed by Deb Given, who foaled Smarty Jones at Chapman's Someday Farm in Pennsylvania on Feb. 28, 2001.

On Thursday, the bidding had reached $400.