OBS 2-year-old sale holds steady

The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. spring sale of 2-year-olds was pacing steadily with last year’s record-setting edition at the conclusion of the third of four sessions Thursday.

After the auction’s penultimate session, a total of 484 horses had sold for $37,769,500, trailing 4 percent behind last year’s three-day gross of $39,420,900 from 514 horses sold. The average sale price of $78,036 marked a 2 percent increase over last year’s figure of $76,694, while the median remained steady at $45,000. The cumulative buyback rate of 26 percent was up from 23 percent at the same point in 2015.

The first seven-figure horse of the sale went through the ring Thursday, selling to Breeze Easy LLC for $1.2 million. The colt is notable for being the first seven-figure unraced horse (weanling, yearling, or 2-year-old) to sell at auction by Pin Oak Stud’s Broken Vow. The 19-year-old son of Unbridled has had seven-figure broodmares and racing/broodmare prospects in the past, including Cotton Blossom, Bella Jolie, and Rosalind.

Bred in Florida by Hal Snowden Jr., the chestnut session-topper is out of the multiple stakes-winning Silver Deputy mare Haddie Be Good, whose three foals to race are all winners, including stakes winner Story to Tell. He is from the family of Grade 1 winners Sam’s Sister, Sweet Talker, Include Me Out, and Check the Label as well as Grade 3 winner Silver Medallion.

The session-topper was a $55,000 weanling purchase out of the 2014 Keeneland November breeding stock sale who was then sold for $105,000 at last year’s Keeneland September yearling sale to Tom McCrocklin, as agent for Solana Beach Sales. McCrocklin consigned the colt as agent at the OBS sale.

The colt breezed two furlongs in 20 4/5 seconds over the Ocala Training Center’s all-weather Safetrack surface during the presale under-tack show.

The fourth and final session of the OBS spring sale took place Friday.