With a $1.5 million Tiz the Law colt leading the way, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s spring sale of 2-year-olds in training traded a record number of seven-figure horses, and thus, finished with a record average price as it wrapped up on Friday evening.
OBS reported that 637 horses sold for gross receipts of $88,761,500 over the four-day sale. Last year, the same number sold for $82,373,500.
Nine juveniles brought seven-figure price tags during this week's sale, shattering the previous April sale record of five to meet that threshold in 2022. The average of $139,343 was not only an 8 percent gain from last year's cumulative figure of $129,315 - it topped the previous April record of $129,577 at the 2022 edition.
The median price did decline 7 percent, to $65,000 from $70,000. The buyback rate was 17 percent, an improvement from 19 percent last year. Figures under 20 percent are considered outstanding in a highly-selective marketplace.
“Very appreciative and glad, a lot of adjectives that you can ultimately apply to the week,” OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski said. “The international buyers were here, and they were excited to buy horses, and it looks like they did. Certainly, we had a broad spectrum of buyers from all over the world.”
The sale-topping Tiz the Law colt was purchased in the final session by West Point Thoroughbreds, Spendthrift Farm, and St. Elias Stable from the consignment of Steven Venosa's SGV Thoroughbreds. The colt, who breezed a furlong in 10 seconds flat during last week's under-tack preview show on the Ocala Training Center's all-weather Safetrack, is from the second crop of his sire. A classic performer himself, Tiz the Law has Louisiana Derby winner and Kentucky Derby candidate Tiztastic in his first crop. Tiz the Law finished OBS April with three of the nine seven-figure juveniles; no other sire had multiple lots in the group.
“Tiz the Law is a stallion where we’ve now bought three of them at the 2-year-old sales, and he’s come forward like a whirlwind,” West Point's Terry Finley said. “I think he’s going to make an impact on the breed for a lot of years to come."
The Louisiana-bred colt was a $125,000 purchase by Venosa at last year's Keeneland September yearling sale, and is now a successful pinhook to top a huge sale for SGV Thoroughbreds. The outfit also sold the auction's second-highest-priced horse, a $1.45 million Gun Runner colt in a blockbuster second session.
“Without my team we’re not able to do this," Venosa said. "So, they take just as much credit as I do,” Venosa said. “We knew [the Tiz the Law colt] was one of the top horses in the sale. To reach that level, you just never know. You try to lead them up there and, like with the last one, you let the people evaluate them and that’s what they are worth. The most important thing is I’m really excited about the home he’s going to.”
The colt is the first foal out of the winning Souper Speedy mare Georgian Dancer, who was stakes-placed at Woodbine. She is a half-sister to Canadian champion River Maid - dam of Grade 1-placed Cocktail Moments - and to stakes-placed Race for Gold.
For hip-by-hip results, click here.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.