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A colt by Tiz the Law topped the final session of the OBS Spring Sale of 2YOs in Training, selling for US$1.5 million to a partnership including West Point Thoroughbreds, Spendthrift Farm and St. Elias Stable.
The bellwether juvenile auction produced year-over-year gains in gross and a record average, with nine horses selling for seven figures during the four-day sale.
Terry Finley of West Point Thoroughbreds credits a decades-long relationship with consignor Steven Venosa for helping prep some of the best horses to have carried his operation's gold and black silks.
"Tiz the Law is a stallion where we've now bought three of them at the 2YO sales, and he's come forward like a whirlwind," Finley said. "I think he's going to make an impact on the breed for a lot of years to come. We've been doing business with Steven for about 30 years and bought our first really good horse, Awesome Gem, out of Steve's barn when he worked for J.J. Crupi in 2004. So, I have a lot of respect for the work that he does and this horse, he really was a horse all three of us wanted."
The sale-topping colt (Hip 1094) worked in :10 during the under tack show and is out of the winning, stakes-placed Souper Speedy mare Georgian Dancer, a half sister to Group Two winner and 2016 Canadian champion female sprinter River Maid.
Few had a better week than Venosa, whose S G V Thoroughbreds consignment produced the sale's top two prices. Prior to selling Hip 1094, he led Hip 601 up during the April 15 session and watched the bay Gun Runner colt sell for US$1.45 million to Kerri Radcliffe, agent for Memo Racing.
"Without my team we're not able to do this. 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 sale-topping colt, bred in Louisiana by Schwing Thoroughbreds, was purchased by Venosa as a yearling for US$125,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the Paramount Sales consignment.
Venosa added, "It seems like (the colt) gets better and better. As he was showing here, several people would come and look at him every day and every day he just really blossomed. The (Tiz the Laws), they're running on dirt, they're running on turf. They're showing up at 2YO sales. And most importantly they are sound. To bring a horse of that size and work the way he did was very impressive."
The sale-topping colt fittingly closed out an OBS Spring sale that demonstrated market strength. The total gross of US$88,761,500 from 637 sold marks a 7.7% increase over the US$82,373,500 generated by the same number sold in 2024. The average of US$139,343 was up from last year's mark of US$129,315 and topped the previous Spring record of US$129,577 in 2022. Overall median declined from US$70,000 in 2024 to US$65,000.
A total of 128 horses failed to meet their reserve for an RNA rate of 16.7%, compared to 18.5% in 2024.
Libyan-based bloodstock agent Mahmud Mouni led all buyers by gross with 11 purchased for US$4,855,000, including securing Hip 416, a son of Into Mischief, for US$1.4 million from the consignment of King's Equine, which sold two seven-figure horses during the week.
"Very appreciative and glad, a lot of adjectives that you can ultimately apply to the week," said OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski. "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 demand for offspring by Tiz the Law was evident across the sale, including in the second-highest price of Friday's closing session. Hip 970, a bay colt by the Ashford Stud stallion, sold for US$825,000 to Flatland Racing Stables. Consigned by de Meric Sales, the colt, who worked in :10, was bred in Kentucky by Upson Downs Farm out of the winning Curlin mare Dictate Cool.
Dictate Cool is out of multiple stakes winner and graded stakes-placed Walkwithapurpose and is a half-sister to stakes winner Where Paradise Lay and Regulatory Risk, who ran third in the 2024 Kentucky Oaks .
"Beautiful horse. He always moved great. It all went the right way for him," said Tristan de Meric of de Meric Sales, which led all consignors by gross with 32 sold for US$7,869,000. "He's always trained really well and I'm a big fan of that sire. I think he's going to keep getting better. (The offspring), they all train so well and I can't say enough good things about the sire or the horse."
The session's third-highest price came when Case Clay Thoroughbred Management went to US$750,000 to land Hip 1081, a dark bay or brown colt by Quality Road consigned by Julie Davies. The colt, who worked in :10 1/5, is out of the winning, Group One-placed Langfuhr mare Fuhriously Kissed and is from the female family of Group One winner On Fire Baby.
"Time will tell, but he looks to me like a Saturday horse," said Clay, who purchased the colt on behalf of Wathnan Racing and purchased three others on the day, including Hip 1159, a filly by City of Light that sold for US$500,000 out of the Wavertree consignment.
The next sale on the OBS calendar is the June 2YOs and Horses of Racing Age Sale June 17-19 with the under tack show running June 9-14.