Justify filly sets OBS June record at $1.4 million

A filly by Triple Crown winner Justify brought the hammer down at $1.4 million to establish a sale-record price as the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s June sale of 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age continued.

OBS reported that 173 horses sold on Wednesday, in the second of three sessions overall, for $9,285,000. Because the 2025 OBS June sale was held over two days, as opposed to three, true session-to-session comparisons are not possible. However, Wednesday's figures continued to show promise for a strong finish. The session average was $53,671 and the median was $27,000. Through two sessions, the cumulative average is $53,535 and the median $27,000. Last year's two-session sale finished with record figures in those categories, at $50,243
and $25,000, respectively.

Wednesday's buyback rate was 29 percent, prior to any private sales.

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The session-topping Justify filly has already ensured this renewal of the June sale at least one record. Her $1.4 million price - she was purchased by Speedway Stables - eclipsed the mark of $975,000 set just last year when Feminism, a Curlin filly, sold to Gus King.

The Justify filly, who was consigned by Hoppel LLC, as agent, breezed a quarter-mile in 20 4/5 seconds during last week’s under-tack preview show on the Ocala Training Center’s all-weather Safetrack.

“As soon as I saw the breeze, all I wanted to do was go to the barn to see her,” Marette Farrell, adviser to Speedway, said. “When I went to the barn, she was everything I could have hoped for. She had size, muscle, presence, a great sense of mind. She’s by a phenomenal stallion, Justify, who we’re real believers in. Then of course she’s a half to a Grade 1-placed [runner] and it’s [Grade 1 winner] Mindframe’s extended family. Speedway Stables has a broodmare band now and these are the fillies we want to add to the band, the ones who have brilliance. You can’t walk away from a filly as phenomenal as her.”

As Farrell noted, Speedway's new addition, out of the stakes-winning Rockport Harbor mare Harbingerofthings, is a half-sister to Grade 2 Bernard Baruch winner Tell Your Daddy, who was second in the Grade 1 Keeneland Turf Mile; and a half to Grade 3 winner Dynadrive. Mindframe, a Grade 1 winner around both one and two turns, appears under the fourth dam, Ran's Chick.

“She exceeded our expectations by far," consignor Jesse Hoppel said. "She’s a really nice filly, she’s got a really nice family. Hopefully she’s really successful on the racetrack and goes on to become a really nice broodmare. All those things are a possibility with that filly.”

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