OBS June 2-year-old auction showcases familiar trends

The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. June sale of 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age sale concluded the formal juvenile sales season in North America last week by continuing to show trends that have appeared across the market this season. The auction concluded its expanded threeday run with strength at the top of the market, leading to a fairly steady average price compared to last year’s sale. But the sale also continued to display polarization of the market, resulting in a sharply decreased median and increased buyback rate.

A total of 520 juveniles changed hands during the sale for gross revenues of $17,125,500, according to figures reported by the auction company shortly after the close of business. The gross showed a 14 percent gain from last year’s two-day sale. Last year, 434 horses sold for $14,999,900.

The average price finished at $32,934, dropping 5 percent from $34,562 in 2017. The median price was $15,000, a drop of 19 percent compared to $18,500 last year.

At the top of the market, four horses surpassed last year’s sale-topping price of $320,000. However, the buyback rate finished at 22 percent. Last year’s sale finished at an outstanding 17 percent.

A trio of fast-working juveniles sold during last Wednesday’s solid opening session, which boasted an average price of $37,781, to get the sale off to a flying start. A Scat Daddy colt sold for $650,000, a Cairo Prince filly sold for $375,000, and an Uncle Mo colt sold for $370,000 to lead the way, and those horses maintained their top positions on the leaderboard through the sale. Each of those juveniles starred at last week’s pre-sale breeze show, establishing or tying the fastest times for a furlong, quarter-mile, and three furlongs, respectively, on the Ocala Training Center’s allweather Safetrack surface.

The sale leader, purchased by Carlo Vaccarezza, is from the final crop of Scat Daddy, whose commercial popularity was soaring even before his son Justify completed his Triple Crown sweep. The late Coolmore stallion accounted for two of the sale’s top four prices, with a colt purchased for $360,000 by Alistair Roden Bloodstock topping Friday’s closing session.

The OBS June sale-topping colt, from the consignment of Top Line Sales, as agent, breezed a furlong in 9 4/5 seconds, making him one of six to tie for the fastest move at that distance during the four sessions of the breeze show. The colt is out of the Gone West mare Satulah, who is out of Grade 3 winner War Thief, making her a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Boss Lafitte and stakes-placed Sandsarita. This colt failed to meet his reserve at the 2017 Keeneland September yearling sale, with a high bid of $385,000, and was entered but withdrawn from the OBS March juvenile sale.

With supply-and-demand dynamics at play since Scat Daddy’s death at the young age of 11 in December 2015, and his stock continuing to rise thanks to international stars such as champion Lady Aurelia and a host of other Grade 1/Group 1 winners, younger offspring from Scat Daddy’s final crops were in hot demand even before Justify hit the scene this year. At the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale, the first edition of that bellwether auction following his death, he sired the saletopping $3 million colt who would become Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Mendelssohn. Future Triple Crown winner Justify sold for $500,000 at that same auction, as Scat Daddy finished second by gross sales. At the 2017 Keeneland September sale, yearlings from Scat Daddy’s final crop made him the leading sire by gross.

With that final crop moving on to this year’s juvenile auctions, Scat Daddy sired a colt who sold for seven figures at the marquee Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream selected sale, and also sired an $875,000 filly who led the OBS March auction.

Medaglia d’Oros selling well

Medaglia d’Oro is coming off a solid juvenile auction season, as he is responsible for three of the five seven-figure juveniles sold this spring in North America.

The Darley stallion sired a $1.2 million filly who co-led the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale; a $1.2 million colt who topped the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale; and a $1.1 million filly who topped the OBS March sale.

Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables struck first, buying the filly at the Gulfstream sale. Bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corp., she is out of the stakes-placed Distorted Humor mare Mi Vida and from the family of Grade 1 winners Majestic Warrior, Dream Supreme, and Spinning Round.

The purchase was familiar territory for the Stonestreet operation, which campaigned the Medaglia d’Oro filly Rachel Alexandra to Horse of the Year honors in 2009.

“I like Medaglia d’Oro fillies,” Banke said. “I’ve had very good luck with them . . . I love them to race, and I love them as broodmares.”

The still-unnamed Gulfstream purchase has joined Banke’s other young stock at the Stonestreet Training Center in Summerfield, Fla.

The Fasig Midlantic-topping colt was purchased by Dennis O’Neill on behalf of Phoenix Thoroughbreds, and is being trained by the bloodstock agent’s brother Doug O’Neill in California. The colt has been named Lebron J, after the basketball star.

The commercial popularity of the Medaglia d’Oro colt’s family had already been ably demonstrated by dam Tapicat, who won the Grade 3 Florida Oaks and placed in two Grade 2 stakes. A Tapit mare, Tapicat had been a $725,000 yearling and sold for $2.2 million at the 2016 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. Earlier that year, she had produced this Medaglia d’Oro colt, bred by Three Chimneys Farm and Besilu Stables.

Tapicat’s dam is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Pohave. Her third dam is champion Track Robbery, whose foals include multiple graded stakes winner Train Robbery, dam of Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and $3.9 million earner Cat Thief.

Bloodstock agent Steven Young landed the winning bid on the OBS March-topping filly, who has been named Italia. She is out of the placed Carson City mare Wilshewed, whose seven winners from nine foals to race include Grade 1 winner Stormello, Grade 2 winner My Best Brother, Grade 3 winner Gala Award, Grade 1-placed Cherry Lodge, and Grade 3-placed Greatest Game. Wilshewed is also the dam of stakes producers Atlantic Voyage and Ever So Pretty.