Ocala sale ends down overall

The Ocala Breeders' Sale Company ended its winter mixed sale with overall declines after its second and last session Wednesday, but gains in average and median on Tuesday's opening day helped prevent steeper declines.

Tuesday's opening consignor-preferred session posted a 13-percent increase in average price and a 24-percent rise in median. Wednesday's open session reversed those gains, as the average fell 3 percent and median dropped by 9 percent, but the open session gross did increase by 8 percent.

Wednesday's closing session sold 194 horses for $727,300, resulting in an average price of $3,749 and a $2,200 median. Buy-backs on Wednesday were fewer than at 2009's open session, falling from 41 percent to 32 percent. The session-topper was Hip No. 305, a $57,000 yearling Dehere filly out of stakes-placed Seattle Moon, by Seattle Dancer. B & B Partners was the purchaser.

The two-day auction sold a combined 288 horses this year for $1,646,000, down 22 percent from last season's total for 342 horses. The cumulative average price of $5,715 also ended down by 8 percent, but the cumulative median suffered only a slight dip of 2 percent as median slipped from $3,000 to $2,950 this year.

The sale-topper, sold Tuesday at the consignor-preferred session, was $105,000 broodmare East Long Lake. The 4-year-old Sultry Song mare was in foal to Curlin. Mary K. Haire purchased East Long Lake from Kaizen Sales, agent.