Ocala sale has record average

The two-day Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June 2-year-old sale ended Wednesday with strong gains across the board, including a sale-record average of $23,550.

A $200,000 Successful Appeal filly bought by Carrol Castille was the session- and auction-leader. Norman Casse's Cardinal Hill Farm agency sold the filly, who is out of stakes-placed Half Mast, a Tunerup mare who has produced four winners from four starters so far.

The auction sold 314 juveniles for $7,394,600, up sharply from last year's gross of $4,584,500 for 249 lots. The average jumped 28 percent to surpass the 2002 record of $18,961. The median rose 68 percent, from $9,500 to $16,000, and the buy-back rate fell from 32 percent to 19 percent.

Other high-priced lots Wednesday included a $150,000 Is It True-Kissin Rene filly that F. Thomas Conway bought from Niall Brennan, agent. That filly is a half-sister to stakes-winner Cherokee's Disco. The second session got off to a strong start when the first lot through the ring, a Forestry colt out of Be a Prospector brought $100,000 from Castille. Ricky Leppala, agent, sold that colt, a half-brother to Grade 3-placed stakes-winner Away and stakes-placed Fiddler's Find.