The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Calder select juvenile sale began the boutique 2-year-old auction season with record figures Tuesday.
Although the one-day auction's top price of $600,000, for a Dance Master colt, was not a record, the day's $136,890 average and $120,000 median prices did set new marks for the sale even as gross receipts fell. An auction record 22 juveniles brought prices of $200,000 or more.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - A cast of prominent Thoroughbred buyers helped the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. kick off the select 2-year-old season on Tuesday at Calder Race Course. With names such as Kentucky Derby-winning owner John Oxley and professional golfer Gary Player on the early result sheets, the one-day OBS select juvenile sale was ringing up plenty of six-figure horses.
But so far, nothing had come close to last year's sale-record $1.6 million Wild Rush colt, which Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum's agent, John Ferguson, bought from W.D. North, agent.
LAS VEGAS - Gulfstream Park was 3-year-old heaven last Saturday. Eight of the 11 races were for 3-year-olds, and in addition to the Holy Bull and Hutcheson stakes for colts, and the Davona Dale and Old Hat stakes for fillies, there were two allowances and two maiden special weight races to spice up the superb program.
The Hutcheson is always a good horse race for 3-year-old sprinters and milers, but there were no Kentucky Derby winners in this year's renewal.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The second-ranked stallion in the nation is one of the loneliest stallions in the nation.
Musique d'Enfer is an unlikely candidate to be ranked behind In Excess on the national stallion leader list by earnings. Musique d'Enfer is bred to only a few mares a year, and his tenuous position on the list is a result of one race - the upset win by Musique Toujours in the $1 million Sunshine Millions Classic at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 29.
New York stallion Catienus broke on top and never looked back.
His very first runner, Lisa's Cat, won a maiden special weight at Keeneland on April 8 in her career debut.
She was the first of 19 winners in 2004 for Catienus, who led all North American sires in winners last year as a first-crop sire.
With four of his offspring winning last weekend, Catienus now has 23 winners from that crop of 42 foals.
Catienus, an 11-year-old son of Storm Cat owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, stands at Highcliff Farm in Delanson, N.Y., for a fee of $6,500.
Confidence is always high for the first of Florida's five 2-year-olds in training sales. As usual, the first of these auctions is hosted by the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company. This year's sales begins at noon Eastern on Tuesday at Calder Race Course.
"We have 207 cataloged," said Tom Ventura, OBS sales director and general manager. "This is as good a looking group of horses we have cataloged in years, with many by newcomers to the stallion ranks. I don't have a crystal ball, but all the signs point to a strong sale."
Ten years ago, it seemed impossible for West Virginia to have one of the fastest growing breeding industries in the nation. The state was close to its lowest point - less than 200 foals born and fewer than 300 mares bred to local stallions. Breeding Thoroughbreds was a losing proposition.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Devil's Bag, the champion juvenile of 1983 and sire of more than 40 stakes winners, died early Thursday morning at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky. The Halo horse was 24 and had been due to stand this season for a $10,000 fee.
"He broke his right hind leg in his stall," Claiborne manager Gus Koch said. Devil's Bag was euthanized because of the injury.
Koch said the farm will bury Devil's Bag, who was bred to 53 mares last year, at its Marchmont cemetery.
