A $1.45 million Gun Runner colt led six horses to light the bid board at seven figures on a banner day for the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s spring 2-year-olds in training sale, pushing it to the midway point with gains in the average.
Wednesday’s flurry followed a single seven-figure colt sold in Tuesday’s opening session, and has helped this sale already, with two days remaining, to set a record for the most seven-figure horses sold at OBS’s flagship sale. The previous record game when five horses reached the seven-figure threshold during the 2022 sale.
“Wow, great day,” director of sales Tod Wojciechowski said. “I said before the sale started that I’m always amazed how the consignors continually up the quality of the horses they bring, and I think that was evidenced today by having six horses bring a million or more. I think as an industry we’re a glass half full kind of industry. We’re always waiting for the next big horse or we’re always waiting for the next big win. So, I would never say that we never thought it could happen. We’re always hoping.”
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Through two of four sessions, OBS reports that 325 horses have sold for $46,393,500, just off $46,853,000 from 336 sold to this point last year.
The cumulative average price currently sits at $142,749, up 2 percent from $139,443 at this point in 2024. Meanwhile, the median is down 20 percent, at $60,000 compared to $75,000. The buyback rate is unchanged to this point, at 20 percent.
The session-topping son of young phenom Gun Runner was purchased by bloodstock agent Kerri Radcliffe, on behalf of Memo Racing, from the consignment of Steven Venosa’s SGV Thoroughbreds, as agent.
The colt, who breezed a furlong in 10 seconds flat during last week’s under-tack preview on the Ocala Training Center’s all-weather Safetrack, is out of the winning Empire Maker mare Vanquished. She is the dam of Grade 2 winner Takeover Target, and of stakes winner Ladies’ Privilege, dam of Breeders’ Cup Mile winner More Than Looks.
“He’s a Gun Runner,” Radcliffe said. “It’s a little hard to get away from that. He was gorgeous horse. He breezed really well. Physically he’s lovely and he’s probably going to take a bit more time. We came here to buy nice colts and we got two.”
Earlier in the session, Radcliffe had gone to $1.05 million to purchase a Nyquist colt from the consignment of Harris Training Center. Radcliffe said Memo Racing has not decided which trainer the colts will go to.
Another buyer signed for two seven-figure lots, as Libyan-based bloodstock agent Mahmud Mouni purchased a $1.4 million colt by six-time reigning leading sire Into Mischief, and a $1.05 million filly from the second crop of Tiz the Law.
“I liked this colt. I specifically came for this colt,” Mouni said of the Into Mischief colt. Mouni was buying for the newly formed Tagermeen Racing syndicate, and said his purchases will remain Stateside and that a trainer has not yet been decided.
The other seven-figure lots on Wednesday were a $1.3 million colt from the first crop of Yaupon, purchased by Kaleem Shah; and a $1.15 million Tiz the Law colt purchased by Donato Lanni, as agent for Zedan Racing.
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