LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June 2-year-old and racing-age sale ended Wednesday with a second day of declines and a $150,000 Holy Bull colt as the most expensive horse at the two-day auction.
The Ocala, Fla., sale followed the general trend of declines at juvenile auctions. OBS sold 286 juveniles for $4,741,300, down 39 percent from last year's total for 352 horses. The 2-year-old average of $16,578 was 24 percent lower than last year's figure of $21,934.
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The Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s June juvenile and racing-age sale produced a pair of six-figure horses but suffered declines in gross and average at its opening session Tuesday in Ocala, Fla.
The two-day auction opened with 146 horses sold for $2,132,100, a drop of 47 percent from last year's total of $4,003,200 for 192 horses. The session's average price of $14,603 was 30 percent lower than last year's $20,850. The $9,000 median was down 31 percent from last year's $13,000 for the equivalent session.
Buy-backs jumped from 16 percent in 2008 to 30 percent.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - A Royal Academy filly named Vienna Calling led a string of fast workers Sunday who topped the work tab at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s under-tack show.
The under-tack sessions on Saturday and Sunday previewed the OBS June 2-year-old sale, which runs Tuesday and Wednesday at the Ocala, Fla., facility.
Hip No. 310, a bay daughter of Royal Academy and British-bred Ballet Partner, by First Trump, covered an eighth-mile in 10 seconds on Sunday for the two sessions' fastest work over the distance. Potrero Stables, agent, is the consignor.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Maybe it was inevitable that Drs. Kalarikkal and Vilasini Devi Jayaraman would someday own a Belmont Stakes winner.
It seems unlikely that a cardiologist and a pathologist who emigrated from India with no previous interest in horses would somehow end up as full-time Thoroughbred breeders and win the 2009 Belmont with a homebred they broke themselves. But as Devi Jayaraman points out, they are from Kerala, India.
"That's the name of the dam of Damascus," she said with a laugh. "Maybe that was it."
Yearling sellers in Great Britain and Ireland have launched a scheme that will pay bonuses of about $16,400 to yearling buyers if their purchases go on to win designated races.
The scheme also has media sponsorship from the Racing Post, Britain's daily racing newspaper.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Ron Bamberger, executor of the James T. Hines Jr. Estate that co-owns 2007 champion older male Lawyer Ron, has filed suit against Stonewall Stallions, alleging that the farm owes the estate $50,000 for a pair of breeding seasons to the young sire.
The late James Hines Jr. bred Lawyer Ron, and his estate campaigned the colt until selling an 80 percent interest to Audrey Haisfield's Stonewall Stallions in 2006.
Grade 1 winner Happy Ticket, the leading Louisiana-bred earner, died on May 3 after post-foaling related complications, her owner, Stewart Madison, confirmed Wednesday.
The 8-year-old mare was found dead in her pasture at Glencrest Farm near Lexington, Ky. Her death was first reported by Thoroughbred Times. Happy Ticket, who won the 2005 Ballerina and nine other stakes races, produced an Empire Maker filly on April 24. It was the mare's second foal, following a Distorted Humor colt, now a yearling.
The final foal produced by Grade 1 winner and producer Fantastic Look is a California-bred colt by Salt Lake who is considered something of a bonus at Golden Eagle Farm in Ramona, Calif.
The colt was born May 29. Sadly, a few hours later Fantastic Look died of injuries suffered while foaling, according to Golden Eagle Farm general manager Janine McCullough. The mare was 23 and had been bred and raced by the Mabee family, which owns Golden Eagle Farm.
The Salt Lake colt has been transferred to a nurse mare and is responding well, McCullough said.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Stonewall Stallions has privately sold its majority interest in flagship stallion Medaglia d'Oro to Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum's Darley organization, Darley announced Friday.
The 10-year-old El Prado horse has relocated from Stonewall in Midway, Ky., to Darley's Jonabell Farm in Lexington.
Darley did not disclose the purchase price.
Princess Coup, a three-time New Zealand champion, set a Magic Millions all-time price record and topped opening-day selling Thursday when she brought Aus$3 million Australian (about $2,370,000 U.S.) at the Magic Millions select broodmare sale on Australia's Gold Coast.
The 6-year-old Encosta de Lago mare sold as a broodmare prospect to bloodstock agent Tony Bott, representing and entity called E Thoroughbred.
"She went for more than I thought," Bott said afterwards. "I thought we might be able to get her for $2 million to $2.5 million.
