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| Staff Writer |
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The OBS October Yearling Sale has been moved up by a day, with officials rescheduling the event to avoid potential disruptions from Tropical Storm Milton. The sale, originally planned to start on October 8, will now begin at 3 p.m. ET on October 7, featuring Hips 1-200, with Hips 201-595 set to go through the ring on October 8, starting at 11:30 a.m.
The decision to reschedule was made swiftly, as OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski explained. "Even with an on-and-off rain, we've been busy in the barn area," he said. "We made the decision this morning to move the sale earlier, starting tomorrow afternoon. The difficult thing about making those decisions is we don't know when the storm is going to be. With an abundance of caution for horses and humans, we figured getting it out of the way would be best."
In light of these unusual circumstances, the OBS has adjusted its buy-back commission, reducing it to 2.5%. This change is expected to assist both buyers and consignors, ensuring smooth transactions in the unpredictable weather.
The OBS October Yearling Sale has a strong record of producing top talent, and recent graduates have continued to impress in major stakes races. Trikari, a son of Oscar Performance, sold at the 2022 sale for US$27,500 to Amerman Racing. Trained by Graham Motion, he has enjoyed a stellar 2024 season, claiming victories in the Gr.1 Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes, Gr.2 American Turf Stakes, and Gr.2 Secretariat Stakes. Trikari’s performance on turf has established him as one of the leading three-year-olds of the year, with total earnings already crossing the million-dollar mark.
Another success story from the same 2022 sale is Kinza, a two-time graded stakes winner. Purchased by Grassroots Training and Sales for US$30,000, the daughter of Carpe Diem was resold for US$350,000 to Michael Lund Petersen at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Kinza has won the Gr.3 Las Virgenes Stakes and Gr.3 Santa Ysabel Stakes in 2024, underlining the quality that emerges from this sale.
This year’s catalog offers a diverse array of sires, including notable first-crop sires like Vekoma and Complexity, both already making an impact on the sire rankings. Other first-crop sires represented include Maxfield, Beau Liam, and Rock Your World. The catalog also features yearlings by prominent Florida stallions such as Leinster, St Patrick's Day, and Gunnevera.
"We have a good catalog, a well-represented sire list of tried and true stallions and newer stallions," said Wojciechowski. The offerings cater to a wide variety of buyers, ensuring there is something for everyone, from well-established pedigrees to exciting new bloodlines.
The 2023 October Yearling Sale grossed US$7.67 million, with 384 yearlings sold from a total of 587 offered. The sale achieved a strong clearance rate despite 203 horses failing to meet their reserve, translating to a reserve-not-attained (RNA) rate of 34.6%.
Last year’s top-seller was a colt by Mitole out of Midnight Magic (by Midnight Lute), consigned by Sue Vacek and sold to Quarter Pole Enterprises for US$250,000. Now named Southern Gentleman, the ridgling later sold at the March OBS 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale for US$725,000 to Speedway Stables after breezing an eighth of a mile in :9 4/5. Southern Gentleman has shown great promise on the track and remains one to watch.
Quarter Pole Enterprises led the buyers by total sales last year, purchasing two yearlings for a combined US$400,000. On the consignor front, Beth Bayer stood out, selling 40 of her 53 yearlings for a total of US$822,700.
Despite the condensed schedule, excitement remains high. "We were busy on the grounds today, we've created a compressed timetable," said Wojciechowski. "In this day and age, with walking videos and online information, there will certainly be opportunities for buyers to secure top-quality horses."
With the early start and a solid catalog, the OBS October Yearling Sale is poised to deliver strong results, even in the face of adverse weather conditions.