By Sarah Mace
The New York-bred juveniles at this week’s 2-day Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s 2018 March sale got the state program’s 2-year-old auction season off to a rollicking start.
Nine individuals, all colts as it happened, brought $250,000 or more. The buyback percentage for the group was far better than the overall RNA rate and the other key indicators were on a par with the sale numbers. Further, numbers posted by the New York-breds this year were dramatically better than those generated by the New York-bred cohort at OBS in 2017.
From 37 individuals offered over the auction’s two sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, 30 New York-breds changed hands (including two private sales).* The resulting 18.9% buyback rate was dramatically better than the 30% RNA percentage for the general population of the sale. As to the other indicators, New York-breds posted an average price of $164,200, which was comparable to the sale average of $167,685. Their $110,000 median was identical to the sale median.
[*Update 3/16: After the completion of this article OBS updated its sale statistics, adding two more NY-Bred private sales for a total of “32 horses sold (including four private sales).”]
A year-to-year-comparison of the New York-bred performance at OBS March this year gives reason to be optimistic about the 2018 juvenile marketplace for Empire State-breds. Even though the 2017 catalogue was 15.3% larger, just 32 New York-bred 2-year-olds were offered last year. Of these, only 20 sold, which generated a high RNA percentage of 37.5%. The 2017 average and median prices for New York-breds came in at $107,700 for the average and $68,500 for the median, well below the 2018 numbers.
New York-Breds at OBS March 2017-2018
Offered Sold RNA% Average Median
2018 37 30 18.9% $164,200 $110,000
2017* 32 20 37.5% $107,700 $68,500
*Stats revised by OBS 6/12/17
On Wednesday no horse eclipsed Tuesday’s New York-bred topper (Hip 169), a City Zip colt purchased by Steve Young for $550,000, but there were plenty of outstanding results to go around.
Wednesday’s top New York-bred seller was a Hip 504, was a son of Street Sense hammered down for $420,000 to Lane’s End Bloodstock from the consignment of Crupi’s New Castle Farm, Agent X after posting a :10 flat work under tack. The bay colt is a pin-hooking success story, purchased last year by Jughead Stable for $75,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale.
Bred by Edition Farm and foaled on February 2, 2016, the colt is out of the Edition-bred mare Ouchy Night, a multiple stakes-placed runner and earner of $209,793. The mare’s lone foal to race is stakes performer Wild about Harry. The colt’s second, third and fourth dams, Minetonightsfirst, Mine Tonight and Mardi Gras Maid, are all stakes winners.
In the same session three more colts brought $300,000 and up, led by Hip 465, a dark bay or brown colt by City Zip bred by Hidden Lake Farm LLC and purchased by Charles H. Boden, Agent for $360,000. Foaled on April 4, 2016, the colt is the second foal out of Meiann, an unraced daughter of First Samurai who sold for $330,000 as a Keeneland September yearling in 2009.
Meiann is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Power Broker and stakes winner Fierce Boots. The colt’s second dam Shop Again is stakes winner and the family under third dam boasts such luminaries as Grade 1 winner Miss Shop, dam of graded winners Tin Type Gal, and graded winner and sire Trappe Shot. The colt, who posted a sharp :9 4/5 work, was consigned by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds LLC, Agent, who purchased him last year for $170,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale
A pair of New York-bred colts, who also turned in :9 4/5 works, met the $300,000 threshold during the session. Hip 524, a dark bay/brown Orb Colt out of a stakes winner bred SF Racing Group, Inc. went to Lobdell Family Stable. Hip 298, a chestnut individual by Jimmy Creed was purchased from Ciaran Dunne’s Wavertree Stables, Inc. by St. Elias Stable.
The next stop on the juvenile sales circuit is the Fasig-Tipton March sale on March 28. Click here for a list of New York-bred hips with links to their catalogue pages.
