Two-day OBS yearling sale begins with select session Tuesday

Florida gets into the action in what has been a strong North American yearling sale season, as the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. hosts its annual fall sale Tuesday and Wednesday. Along with Florida’s established leading sires, some of the state’s new stallions will be showcased in their home market.

OBS has cataloged a total of 634 yearlings, including supplemental entries through Thursday, for the two-day sale. Tuesday is designated as the select session, with the perceived highest-quality horses, with the bulk of the catalog following in an open session on Wednesday.

Among Florida’s first-crop yearling sires this season are St Patrick’s Day and Rogueish, both with significant pedigrees and both with significant representation in this catalog.

St Patrick’s Day, by Pioneerof the Nile, is a full brother to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah – who has enhanced this family’s stallion reputation by leading his freshman sire class and siring Grade 1 winners on both dirt and turf. The two stallions are also half-siblings to Grade 1 winner Chasing Yesterday, and full siblings to Grade 1-placed American Cleopatra.

St Patrick’s Day, a maiden winner on dirt in the U.S., was Group 3-placed on turf in Ireland. He stands at Journeyman Stud in Ocala, and has 17 first-crop yearlings in the OBS October catalog, including eight in the select session. His yearlings cataloged include half-siblings to stakes winners Ifitwasntfortexas and Snowball.

Rogueish became the first son of leading sire and emerging sire of sires Into Mischief to retire to stud in Florida. He stands at Solera Farm in Williston. Rogueish won his only start, a 2-year-old maiden race at Fair Grounds. He has six first-crop yearlings in the OBS October catalog.

Among North America’s first-crop sires from jurisdictions outside of Florida, there are two yearlings at OBS by Omaha Beach, who stands at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky and has emerged as the national leader of his class through the summer and early fall yearling sales.

Young stallions were popular at last year’s OBS October yearling sale, with a $170,000 colt from the first crop of Ransom the Moon and a $170,000 colt from the second crop of Midnight Storm tying for the sale lead.

The 2021 select session posted a rise of 15 percent in average and 14 percent in median compared to 2020, with the buyback rate improving significantly, to 26 percent from 36 percent.

In the open session, the average soared 72 percent and the median doubled. The buyback rate also continued to improve, finishing at 18 percent compared to 21 percent.

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