Most North American juvenile auctions cater to a certain segment of buyers, be it by class, region, or a horse’s level of precociousness. In comparison, the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. spring 2-year-olds in training sale is as versatile as a Swiss Army Knife. The market’s most populous 2-year-old auction, held in Ocala, Fla., has been well received by both buyers and sellers, and this year’s event follows the strongest in its history. The 2017 auction closed with record highs in gross, average, and median while also producing the most expensive horse in OBS history. OBS president Tom Ventura knew those historic returns set a high bar for the 2018 sale, but he said the quality and variety in the catalog this year puts it in good position to make an honest run. “The market really hasn’t changed that much,” he said. “It’s held pretty firm. I think we have the horses here, and I think it’ll turn out to be a nice sale. If we can exceed the numbers we put out last year, it would be spectacular.” The auction’s catalog has operated at near capacity for the sale grounds for several years, and that continues in 2018 with the catalog growing 1 percent to 1,222 entries from 1,208. :: Get breeding & sales news, Beyer info, and more delivered right to your email! The OBS spring sale has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the trend of more expensive juveniles being sold later in the season. “It’s getting harder to get horses in there,” said Randy Hartley, of consignor Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds. “It’s been a good sale. It seems like people are bringing better horses there than in the past. It’s easier to get in March than April now, where it used to be the total opposite. The reason they opened March up was to take some of the pressure off April, and people still want to go to April. “It’s definitely a numbers game, and good horses come out of there,” Hartley said. “I’m sure if the market stays the way that it is now, the top should do well, and if we have a chance to get a middle market, that’s probably going to be the place.” The 2017 OBS spring sale finished with 678 horses sold for all-time-high revenues of $60,935,900, up 17 percent from the previous year. The average rose 14 percent to finish at a record $89,876, while the median landed at $47,500, growing 1 percent and establishing an OBS spring record for the sixth consecutive year. Last year’s spring sale produced the most expensive offering of the North American juvenile season – and the highest-priced horse in OBS history - when John Moynihan, acting as agent for the Coolmore partnership’s M.V. Magnier, bought a Tiznow colt out of the Distorted Humor mare Moonbow for $2.45 million. The previous OBS record was $1.9 million for Inheritance, a Tapit filly purchased by Solis/Litt at the 2015 spring sale. Later named Conquistador, the Tiznow colt is trained by Mark Casse for a partnership that includes the Coolmore principals, John Oxley, and Markus Jooste. He finished in the money in both of his starts as a juvenile last year. Other graduates of note from last year’s OBS spring sale include Kentucky Derby hopeful Snapper Sinclair; Kentucky Oaks hopefuls Midnight Bisou, Wonder Gadot, and Rayya; Grade 2 winner Road to Victory; Grade 3 winner Significant Form; and Japanese Group 3 winner Mr. Melody.