By Sarah Mace
The concluding session of the four-day Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. June 2-year-old sale saw far-and-away the top-selling New York-bred, a bay colt by sire sensation Uncle Mo out of a dam from the family of Sea Hero.
Hip 940, who clocked a quarter in :21.1 in the under tack show, sold to Breeze Easy LLC for $240,000. The colt was consigned by Thoroughbred Champions Training Center LLC, who purchased him from the Taylor Made consignment for $32,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September yearling sale. Offered at OBS March, he failed to meet his reserve when bid up to $145,000.
Breeder Fred W. Hertrich III purchased Hip 940 in utero, when he bought his dam Surrender at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale for $20,000. This was her first foal.
Surrender, a placed runner by Stormy Atlantic out of stakes placed Beaucette, boasts as her second dam graded winner Mackie (Summer Squall), who is a half-sister to sire Sea Hero, sire Hero’s Honor, Glowing Honor, Wild Applause, etc. Hertrich resold Surrender at the 2014 Keeneland November sale for $40,000 in foal to Morning Line, where she was purchased by Gayle Van Leer.
The colt’s sire Uncle Mo was the top freshman sire of 2015 and currently the runaway leader on the second crop sire rankings.
At the conclusion of the OBS June sale, 54 New York-breds sold of 82 offered for a $26,178 average and $13,500 median, which edged out the general sale median. The buyback rate settled at 34.1%.
For the entire OBS June sale, the average was $29,675, compared to 2015’s sale record $39,612, while the median price was $13,000 compared to $18,000 a year ago. The buyback percentage was 24%; it was 24.8% a year ago.
