OBS June sale concludes with record figures
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The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s June sale of 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age concluded its three-day run on Thursday evening with record figures, a fine bow on what has been a strong juvenile sale season.
OBS reported a total of 561 horses sold - the majority of those juveniles, with just two horses of racing age sold in the final session - for gross receipts of $28,551,500. Direct sale-to-sale comparisons for the number sold and gross are not applicable, as this year's sale took place over three days, while the 2025 auction was condensed to two. The 2025 sale had 507 horses sold for $25,473,000, with no horses of racing age.
The average and median figures, however, are able to be compared to show demand and market strength, and they stacked up favorably. This week's average was $51,035 for juveniles and $50,894 overall when the two horses of racing age were factored in. Either figure eclipses the prior record mark of $50,235 established last year.
This week's median was $25,000, equaling the record mark set last year. The overall buyback rate was 21 percent, a solid figure in a selective marketplace in which figures under 20 percent are considered exceptional. Last year's 16 percent mark was in that range.
The OBS June sale thus capped off a strong season for 2-year-olds in training. The OBS March sale kicked off the season with year-over-year gains, including a record gross, and the company’s flagship spring sale in April, topped by a record $10.5 million Flightline colt, posted records for gross, average, and median. Last month’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale, the other major-market auction in this category, established records for average and median.
“I think it’s been a banner year for us with the records that we’ve set through all three sales and ending up on a high note with the June sale,” OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski said. “Very excited and very happy with the results on the year. I still think there were a lot of horses that got sold, period, and we sold a lot of horses at a lot of different price levels. I know sometimes you always want to see more at different levels, but there was plenty of trade of horses.”
The overall sale topper also set an OBS June record, as a Justify filly led Wednesday’s second session at $1.4 million, going to Speedway Stables. She 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, advisor 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[-sibling] 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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The second-highest price overall was a Medaglia d’Oro colt who topped Thursday’s final session, selling for $650,000 to Donato Lanni as agent for Zedan Racing. The colt is from the third-to-last crop by Medaglia d’Oro, who was pensioned last fall.
This colt distinguished himself by working a furlong in 9 4/5 seconds during the breeze show, tying for the fastest time.
“He looks fast. He looks like one that will go on,” Lanni said. “All year for the good horses, there have been a lot of strong bidders. Every year seems to get stronger and stronger. I think there is a lot of money out there and people want to have fun.”
The colt, consigned by Marcial Galan as agent, is out of the Desert Party mare Scarlet Emerald, a solid runner who notched 11 wins from ages 2 to 5. She is now the dam of stakes-placed Naughty Lottie.
Rounding out the top three prices was one of this year’s freshman sires, as a colt from the first crop of Early Voting was purchased for $410,000 by Delaware Park-based trainer Greg Compton as agent for MAG Racing Stables, to lead Tuesday’s opener. The colt, who was consigned by Julie Davies as agent, breezed a furlong in 10 seconds flat.
“He’s a good-looking individual, he had a great breeze, and the stud is off to a great start,” Compton told OBS. “It’s pretty simple. He looks like he has a bright future. He might get a little break for 30 days and then get him back going again.”
Preakness Stakes winner Early Voting, a son of Gun Runner and from the family of champion and sire Speightstown, is already the sire of five winners from his first crop.
“I have been a fan of Early Voting since the yearling sales,” Davies said. “You can ask anyone who knows me, I’ve been harping on about Early Voting. This is a nice horse. Obviously, he’s fast, he’s pretty.”
The colt is out of the winning War Front mare Cara Dura, dam of four winners from six starters. Cara Dura's second dam is Grade 3 winner Sterling Pound, dam of Grade 2 winner and sire Exchange Rate.
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