Ocala sees $500K purchase

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A big price came late at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company spring 2-year-old sale in Ocala, Fla. Thursday's session, the last at the four-day auction, got a big boost when a Limehouse filly from Hobeau Farm's dispersal brought $500,000.

That is the highest price so far for the auction, though selling was still under way at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

Mark Casse, agent, purchased the sale-leader, a chestnut daughter of the very good producer Deputy's Delight. That mare is the dam of Grade 1-placed Kissin Kris gelding Delightful Kiss, who also is a record-setting multiple graded winner. Cataloged as Hip No. 949, the filly had worked a quarter-mile in the April 16 under-tack session's co-fastest time of 20.40 seconds.

Craig Wheeler, agent, handled the sale on behalf of the late Jack Dreyfus's Hobeau Farm.

A $150,000 Whywhywhy-Vermilion Sea filly topped Wednesday's session on a final bid from Silverton Hills. Michael Yates's Shadybrook agency was the consignor. The chestnut filly is a half-sister to stakes-placed Big Lou.

Catalogued as Hip No. 632, the filly had breezed three-eighths in 32.80 seconds at the under-tack show, the fastest work over that distance at the under-tack preview.

Wednesday's third session sold 174 juveniles for $4,751,000, edging up from last year's total of $7,744,500 for 189 horses. Average price and median both increased by 9 percent to $27,305 and $18,500, respectively. But buy-backs also moved up slightly, from 27 percent last season to 28 percent.