Ocala sale average, median decline

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A pair of $300,000 colts topped the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s reformatted June 2-year-olds and horses of racing age sale, which ended Wednesday evening with a gain in gross but losses in average and median.

Aided by a Stormello-Puff the Magic colt that Bob Baffert bought and a Bernstein-Within colt purchased by the EQB agency, the expanded two-day auction sold 339 juveniles for $7,121,700, up dramatically from last year’s $4,912,100 for 230 juveniles. The 2011 edition of the auction was extended from one day to two and featured a larger catalog.

Average and median sustained losses. Average price fell less than 2 percent, from $21,357 last season to $21,008, but median dropped more significantly, falling 33 percent from $15,000 to $10,000. Eleven horses brought six-figure bids, up from seven last year.

The buyback rate declined from 2010’s figure of 31 percent to 28 percent.

Five older racing-age horses also sold, averaging $3,880 on gross sales of $19,400.
Baffert picked up the $300,000 colt from Stormello’s first crop on Wednesday. Offered as Hip No. 453, the colt had recorded the under tack show’s fastest quarter-mile time, 20.8 seconds. Blue River Bloodstock was the consignor.

The EQB agency’s Patrice Miller and Jeff Seder bought Tuesday’s session-topping $300,000 Bernstein-Within colt from Robert Brewer’s consignment. The colt’s eighth-mile time of 10 seconds at Saturday’s under-tack show was the co-fastest for the day and second-fastest overall. EQB also paid the second highest price at Wednesday’s final session when they went to $200,000 for Hip No. 317, the Lynn Boutte agency’s Proud Accolade filly. The daughter of Lake Victoria was the only juvenile to work an eighth-mile in less than 10 seconds at the under-tack preview; she did it in 9.8 seconds.

The highest-priced filly at the two-day sale, and the second highest price overall, was a $220,000 Elusive Quality-Di’s Delight daughter that Justice Family Racing bought from the Paul Sharp agency. She had worked an eighth-mile in 10 seconds during the under-tack show.