BY BROCK SHERIDAN

A $1 million colt by Yaupon and purchased by Three Amigos, the stable name of Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, topped the third and final session at Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company Thursday, concluding a record three days for the March Sale of 2-year-olds in training.

Statistics for all three days reflect substantial increases compared to last year and a record in gross sales. This year’s March Sale grossed $72,050,000 from 443 sold, an increase of 9.7% compared to the $65,660,500 in gross sales for the March Sale a year ago. The gross sales figure eclipsed the previous mark of $71,473,500 set during the 2023 March Sale.

Seven 2-year-olds sold for at least $1 million during the last three days at OBS, tying the record number of seven-figure horses sold at last year’s March Sale.

The average price rose 8% from $151,992 last year to $164,182 this year. The median price jumped 20% from $70,000 last year to $85,000 over the last three days.

“Very gratified and pleased and happy for the consignors,” said Tod Wojciechowski, Director of Sales for OBS. “As I say all the time, they bring the horses and it’s the quality of the horses they bring is what brings those prices. Very pleased with the amount of trade that took place all three days, both domestically and internationally. We had involvement from a lot of different buyers, so we were very happy with that.

“What we saw early on proved out in the sale prices and proved out over the last three days.”

Consigned by Paul Reyes’ Kings Equine as agent and cataloged as Hip 576, Thursday’s top-selling colt is out of Balbina, by Lemon Drop Kid, a half-sister to Grade 3-winner Machen, stakes-placed runners Get Ready Gal and Mawthooq and stakes-producer Adrina.

“He was beautiful, fast, and sound. He came out of the work really well,” said bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, who signed the ticket for Three Amigos. “These horses, they have do it here and they have to do everything right. And he was a horse who did well. We love the sire. Big Yaupon fan. They’re precocious they’re quick, they look really forward. [Yaupon] had a good year last year. We were on the sidelines last year, we watched. But we’re getting in now.”

Lanni said the colt would go to trainer Bob Baffert in Southern California.

The seventh juvenile to sell for seven figures at the March Sale, the colt was a $235,000 purchase by Jose D’Angelo at last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale and was also a $50,000 short yearling at the 2025 Keeneland January Sale of Horses of All Ages where Paul Neatherlin bought him.

Frank Fletcher Racing Operations, who purchased the $1.85 million Into Mischief colt Wednesday, went to $800,000 Thursday to acquire Hip 694, a filly by Constitution out of the Curlin mare Curls and Bows, a half-sister to Grade 1-winner and stakes-producer Dearest Trickski, graded stakes-placed Gray Sky and stakes-producer Our Love Tap. The colt was consigned by de Meric Sales as agent, who purchased him as a yearling for $160,000 at last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Hip 698 lit up the money board at $775,000 when Japanese trainer and international agent Hideyuki Mori outlasted all bidders. Ciaran Dunne’s Wavertree Stables consigned the dark bay or brown filly from the first crop by Horse of the Year Flightline and she is the first foal out of Grade 1-winner Dalika (Ger), by Pastorius. Dalika is a half-sister to multiple graded-placed, stakes-winner Drawn to Dream and was a $1.65 million purchase by Pursuit of Success while in foal to Flightline at the 2023 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. 

The top-selling Florida-bred by a Florida sire Thursday was Hip 736, who sold for $100,000 to Korean Owners Incentive Development, the primary bloodstock organization representing Korean breeders and the Korea Racing Authority. A son of Bridlewood Farm stallion Tunwoo out of the Distorted Humor mare Enchanted Island, the bay colt was consigned by Champions of the Future as agent. Stakes-winner Baffle Me is the second dam and is from the family of multiple graded stakes-winner and multiple graded stakes-producer Forest Music. The colt was bred in Florida by Charles and Susan Chu’s Baoma Corp.

OBS officials sold 130 juvenile Thoroughbreds Thursday that generated gross sales of $19,396,500 and an average price of $149,204. While the average prices fell from $165,536 on the third day of the March Sale last year, the third-day median price increased from $61,000 to $77,500.

Wavertree Stables was the leading consignor during the three days, having sold 13 head for $7.73 million including the $2 million Nyquist filly that topped the entire sale on Wednesday. Jimbo and Torie Gladwell’s Top Line Sales marketed 20 juveniles for $5.38 million while de Meric Sales saw revenues of $4.677 million from the sale of 18 2-year-olds.

Frank Fletcher Racing topped all buyers with two purchases totaling $2.65 million while Hideyuki Mori of Japan signed the ticket on nine 2-year-olds for $2.4 million. Pedro Lanz as agent for KAS Stables bought four head for $2.125 million.

The next Ocala Breeders’ Sales auction is the four-day Spring Sale of 2-year-olds in training that runs April 14-17 with under tack programs scheduled for April 6-11.

Check Florida Sire Eligibility: 2026 March Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale

Return to the March 12 issue of Wire to Wire