OBS October yearling sale closes with $250K Mitole topper

The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. wrapped up its October sale of yearlings on Wednesday evening with a pair of Florida-bred colts by young sires leading the action -- a $250,000 Mitole colt and a $150,000 Global Campaign colt, respectively.

Led by those two, both purchased by Quarter Pole Enterprises, OBS reported that 386 horses sold over its two-day sale for gross receipts of $7,692,100. Last year, 394 yearlings sold in two sessions for $10,560,900. True session-to-session and year-to-year comparisons for this sale come with a caveat. Last year, OBS conducted the October yearling sale with both a designated selected session and an open session, and at the time, reported the figures for each as a separate sale. Both sessions of this year's sale were designated as open sessions.

The average for this week’s sale was $19,928, compared to a cumulative $26,804 last year. OBS reported on Wednesday. The median was $12,500, compared to $17,000.

This year's yearling marketplace has been strong at the upper end but very selective, and that polarization was seen at OBS, with a 34 percent buyback rate. Last year's buyback rate in the open session was 29 percent.

The sale-topping colt, who was consigned by Sue Vacek, as agent, is from the second crop of Breeders' Cup Sprint winner and Eclipse Award champion Mitole. He currently ranks second on the freshman sire earnings list, led by Grade 3 Pocahontas Stakes winner V V's Dream, who was second in last week's Grade 1 Alcibiades. He is also the sire of Booth, who earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure, one of the best this year for a 2-year-old, in his debut win at Keeneland last Saturday.

Mitole's sale-topping colt is out of the unraced Midnight Lute mare Midnight Magic, dam of three winners from as many starters, including Grade 3 winner Midnight Stroll and stakes-placed Atthecrossroads. Midnight Magic is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Coalport.

Fetching the second-highest price of the sale was a colt from the first crop of Global Campaign, consigned by Kaizen Sales, as agent. The colt was one of the final horses through the ring, as a supplemental entry to the sale.

Global Campaign, by emerging sire-of-sires Curlin, scored his biggest win in the Grade 1 Woodward. He is a half-brother to last year's leading freshman sire, Bolt d'Oro -- sire of the filly who topped Tuesday's opening session of OBS October at $135,000, and finished as the third-highest price of the sale overall.

The Global Campaign colt is out of the winning Yes It's True mare Made In Heaven, dam of three winners from four starters. The mare is a full sister to Grade 3 winner Yesbyjiminy and to Grade 2-placed Qureall, as well as a half-sister to stakes winners A. J. Melini and Magic Mecke.

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