BY BROCK SHERIDAN

A filly by 2018 Triple Crown-winner Justify consigned by Jesse Hoppel as agent sold for a record $1.4 million Wednesday at Ocala Breeders’ Sale Company, the first six-figure horse to sell during their June Sale of 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age. The record eclipsed the $975,000 price paid by Gus King at last year’s OBS June Sale for a filly by Curlin out of the Caliente Thoroughbreds consignment.

The three-day June Sale will conclude with a Thursday session that begins at 10:30 a.m. Hip 701 – 1002 plus supplements 1003-1028 will make up the juvenile session while Horses of Racing Age will sell as Hips 1003 – 1028 plus supplements 1051 – 1056.

Hip 428 was purchased by Marette Farrell on behalf of by Peter and Ann Fluor and K.C. Weiner’s Speedway Stables based in Houston. The gray or roan filly is out of the stakes-winning Rockport Harbor mare Harbingerofthings and is a half-sister to Grade 2-winner and Grade 1-placed Tell Your Daddy and Grade 3-winner Dynadrive.

“As soon as I saw the breeze, all I wanted to do was go to the barn to see her,” Farrell said while giving credit to her team of Tescha Von Bluecher, Zoe Cadman and Ashley Castrenze. “When I went to the barn, she was everything I could have hoped for. She had size, muscle, presence, a great sense of mind. She’s by a phenomenal stallion Justify who we’re real believers in. Then of course she’s a half to a Grade 1 placed filly and it’s [Grade 1 winner] Mindframe’s extended family. Speedway Stables has a broodmare band now and these are the fillies we want to add to the band, the ones who have brilliance.

“You can’t walk away from a filly as phenomenal as her.”

Purchased by Hoppel last year for $100,000 out of the Vinery consignment at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the filly is the second six-figure 2-year-old for Hoppel. He consigned a $1.05 million colt by Mo Town that went to Donato Lanni as agent for Charles and Susan Chu’s Baoma Corp. at this year’s OBS March Sale.

“We got really fortunate. I’m just grateful everyone believed in us enough to bid on our horses like that,” Hoppel said. “She exceeded our expectations by far. She’s a really nice filly. She’s got a really nice family. Hopefully she’s really successful on the racetrack and goes on to become a really nice broodmare. All those things are a possibility with that filly.”

Hip 433, a Florida-bred colt by champion sprinter Jackie’s Warrior sold for $300,000 to Greg Compton as agent for MAG Racing Stables. The colt is one of seven that have hit or exceeded the $300,000 threshold in the first two days of the auction. Read the full story here. 

Hip 655 went for $250,000 to Gervais Racing out of the Ocala Stud as agent for a defaulted account consignment. The dark bay or brown colt is by first crop sire Mo Donegal, winner of the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, out of the unraced Arch mare Golden Finale. Golden Finale is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Broadway’s Alibi, the dam of Qatar Racing Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1)-winner Elite Power; multiple graded stakes-winner Golden Lad, Grade 1-placed, stakes-winner R Gypsy Gold and stakes-producers Drinks on Broadway and Broadway Gal.

Bloodstock agent Nick Hines as agent went to $240,000 to acquire Hip 363 out of the Randy Miles as agent consignment. The bay colt is by Maximus Mischief out of the City Zip mare Field of Flowers, a full sister to stakes-winner Little Miss Zip and a half-sister to Grade 3-placed Phone Home and stakes-producers Stella’s Dream and City of Dreams.

Hip 641, a colt by Yaupon consigned by Omar Ramirez Bloodstock as agent, also sold for $240,000. Paradise Equine Farm signed the ticket on the dark bay or brown colt out of stakes-winner My Sistersledge, by Etched.

Hip 637 went for $200,000 to TBD Bloodstock out of the Grade One Investments as agent consignment. The dark bay or brown filly is by Yaupon out of the winning Macho Uno mare My Kentucky Rose and is a half-sister to Grade 3-placed, stakes-winner Uncharacteristic. My Kentucky Rose is a half-sister to stakes-placed, multiple stakes-producer Madel.

The top-selling Florida-bred by a Florida sire Wednesday was Hip 415, Great Faceoff, by first crop sire Gretzky the Great, who stood the 2026 season at Ocala Stud. The chestnut colt consigned by Cortez Racing and Sales sold for $140,000 to Michael Sucher of Del Rey Beach, Florida in the name of his Champion Equine. The colt is out of the unraced Florida-bred mare Gracious Lady, by Put It Back, a half-sister to stakes-placed Lucky Peridot and stakes-producer Magsamelia. 

The colt is eligible for the Florida Sire Racing Incentive program which pays a $25,000 bonus to eligible Florida-sired 2-year-old winners of maiden special weight, allowance, allowance optional claiming and stake at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs in 2026. Capped at $1 million, the program features bonuses paid directly by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association with $20,000 to the winning owner and $5,000 to the breeder of each eligible winner. 

For the day, 173 head sold for a total of $9,285,000 for an average of $53,671 and a median price of $27,000. The session RNA rate was 28.8%.

Through the first two days of the June Sale, 352 juveniles have generated gross sales of $18,891,000 for an average of $53,668 and a median price of $27,000.

Hoppel as agent was the leading consignor Wednesday with 11 head selling for a total of $1,752,000 while Randy Miles consigned 12 juveniles for $1,125,000. Tom McCrocklin sold six 2-year-olds for $1,099,500.

Speedway Stables led all buyers with their lone purchase of $1.4 million. Greg Compton as an agent for MAG Racing Stables followed with two selections for $710,000.

OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said his pre-race optimism has been justified so far.

“Before the sale started, they asked me what I thought about June and I said we’ve had a great March and April and I don’t see that changing. Obviously, it didn’t change,” Wojciechowski said. “I said it last year, this isn’t your father’s June sale. It has become a sale in its own right and a number of consignors have said that they point horses to this sale.

“I don’t know that I’d have predicted [the seven-figure horse], but I’m not surprised by it. The quality of horses these guys are bringing to the market, it keeps stepping up.”

Hoppel also said the June Sale has grown but noted it has been an important auction on the family calendar.

“Growing up in this industry, there have been times where this sale is what turned our family from red to black for the year,” Hoppel said.  “This sale is really important for all the 2-year-old consignors.”

Check Florida Sire Eligibility: 2026 OBS June 2-YR-Olds in Training and HRA Sale

Return to the June 17 issue of Wire to Wire