Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. June sale sets record for gross and median

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s June sale of 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age sale concluded on Thursday night with record figures.

OBS reported 658 juveniles sold for a sale record gross of $27,082,500 for that main portion of the auction, besting the previous high of $24,626,450 from 567 2-year-olds sold last year. OBS calculates results for 2-year-olds, which make up the vast majority of this catalog, and horses of racing age separately for the June auction.

While the average price did dip, finishing at $41,159, down 5 percent compared with $43,433 last year, the median also established a record. It finished at $25,000, up 25 percent compared with $20,000 in 2021.

The buyback rate finished at 18 percent, just up from 17 percent in 2021.

“A lot of horses got sold at a lot of different levels and that is always a good thing, particularly for the last sale of the year,” OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski told the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association. “The record median is a better telltale than the record gross. As the median creeps up, we’re still getting horses traded at the lower price levels but covering all of our bases."

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Leading the final session was a $370,000 Curlin colt, purchased by Gus King. The colt ranked as the third-highest price of the sale overall, behind a $725,000 Uncle Mo filly and a $625,000 Flatter filly, both sold in the second session on Wednesday.

The Curlin colt, who was consigned by Eddie Woods, as agent, worked a quarter-mile in 21 3/5 seconds during last week's under-tack preview on the Ocala Training Center's all-weather Safetrack surface.

The colt is out of the stakes-placed Distorted Humor mare Distracting, dam of two winners from as many starters. Distracting's dam, Teeming, is out of Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour, making Teeming a half-sister to Eclipse Award champion Rags to Riches, winner of the Kentucky Oaks and Belmont Stakes; to Belmont Stakes winner Jazil; to Breeders' Cup Marathon winner Man of Iron; and to Grade 2 winner Casino Drive.

Teeming continued her family's strong production record, and Distracting is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Streaming and stakes winners Treasuring and Cascading. Notably, she is also a half-sister to the good producer Achieving, dam of graded/group stakes winners Cezanne and Counterforce, both bred on the same cross as this colt.

The small horses of racing age section finished with five horses sold for a total of $85,000. Leading the group was an unraced 3-year-old daughter of Uncaptured, sold for $40,000 to Don Schnell. The Florida-bred filly, who was consigned by Shanbally Acres, is a half-sister to stakes-placed Elegant Zip.

For complete hip-by-hip sale results, click here.