OBS winter mixed sale one of last stops before breeding season begins

With the countdown on to the start of breeding season in February, this coming week’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s winter mixed sale provides one of the final chances to pick up a broodmare prior to the start of the season. The sale will also showcase young stock, including newly turned yearlings and active horses of racing age, market segments that have led this sale’s results recently.

The two-session OBS mixed sale has 542 horses cataloged, including supplemental entries through Jan. 18. The opening session on Tuesday, Jan. 24, is designated as a “preferred” session of selected breeding stock and newly turned yearlings, with horses of racing age at the end of the day. The second and final session on Wednesday, Jan. 25, is designated as an “open” session, with the bulk of the mixed catalog on offer. There will be an optional under-tack preview show for horses of racing age on Monday, Jan. 23, on the Ocala Training Center’s all-weather Safetrack surface. This is the penultimate sale of the North American mixed sale season, which began in November; the final public auction in the category is the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale, Feb. 6-7, just days prior to the start of breeding season.

Several young Florida stallions are represented by broodmares in foal in this year’s catalog, including Grade 1 winner Girvin from what is his final Florida crop for the time being. Girvin stood his first four years at Ocala Stud, and his first crop to the races in 2022 made such a smashing debut that he is moving to partner Airdrie Stud in Kentucky for this season. Girvin was represented by five first-crop stakes winners and finished fifth on the North American freshman sire earnings list as the highest-placed stallion outside of Kentucky.

Two other Florida freshmen cracked the top 20 earnings list with strong results. Awesome Slew, standing at Ocala Stud, recorded 14 winners from 24 first-season runners, a solid 58 percent strike rate; Bucchero, who stands at Pleasant Acres Stallions, had 14 winners from 29 starters. Both are represented by mares in foal in this catalog. Bucchero and Girvin also have short yearlings on offer, while Awesome Slew is represented by unraced horses from his first two crops in the horses of racing age section.

Those purchasing broodmares intended to stay in the Florida marketplace will find some increased sire power in the Sunshine State to choose from this season, in addition to the region’s established young sires. Ocala Stud now has a trio of Grade 1 winners debuting for the 2023 season, as it was announced just days ago that two-time Pegasus World Cup winner Colonel Liam has retired there. His late retirement announcement means his backers may need to secure mares for him. Ocala Stud will also debut Grade 1 winners Gretzky the Great and Roadster this season, while Pleasant Acres will stand Grade 2 winner Magic On Tap.

While Florida’s growing sire power provides an intriguing storyline for the breeding stock offerings, yearlings carried last year’s OBS January results. The top three prices were short yearlings, with a $275,000 Gun Runner filly, a $160,000 Laoban colt, and a $150,000 Maclean’s Music filly leading the way. Overall, the top 12 prices were yearlings or horses of racing age. Overall, 417 horses brought $6,693,100, with the average price rising 17 percent, the median spiking 42 percent, and the buyback rate finishing at a stellar 10 percent.