BY BROCK SHERIDAN

The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company pavilion was buzzing for several days leading up to Hip 1056 stepping before the auctioneers and the striking bay colt from the first crop by Horse of the Year and Breeders’ Cup Classic (Grade 1)-winner Flightline did not disappoint Friday. Those in attendance roared with approval when auctioneer Mark Harman dropped the gavel at $10.5 million, finalizing the sale to Amr Zedan’s Zedan Racing Stables.

Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni made the final bid from in back of the OBS pavilion while on the phone with Zedan.

“There was a lot of hype on this horse and he followed through on the hype,” Lanni said moments after signing the sale ticket. “When he worked, everybody got on the rail and watched and he delivered. He did everything asked and then plus.

“Bob [Baffert] loved him the first time he saw him and Amr [Zedan] is great for the sport. His enthusiasm is unbelievable. He’s fun to work for. But I had no idea [the colt] was going to get [that price].”

“I talked to everybody and everybody had different numbers. We all thought he could bring six [million dollars], he could bring seven. I never thought [$10.5 million]. Honestly, that’s why there’s a horse auction. You never know what they are going to bring.”

The colt shattered the previous OBS record of $3 million paid for Brant, a son of Gun Runner, at last year’s March Sale. Brant was also purchased by Lanni for Zedan. The previous record for the OBS Spring Sale was $2.45 million for Conquistador, by Tiznow, in 2017.

Consigned by Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo in the name of their Ocala-based Hartley / DeRenzo Thoroughbreds as agent, the colt is the third foal out of the graded stakes-placed Into Mischief mare Lucrezia, who won both the 2019 Sandpiper and 2020 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs for owners Edward Seltzer and Beverly Anderson. She is a half-sister to stakes winner and stakes-producer Ghalia and stakes-placed Copperplate.

The Hartley/De Renzo team have a long history of selling monumental juveniles at OBS. They consigned the first seven-figure 2-year-old sold at OBS at the 2001 March Sale when the late Eugen Melnyk went to $1.05 million to purchase Warners. They also sold Hall of Fame Florida-bred Silver Charm to C.J. Gray at the 1996 OBS Spring Sale.

“You always want to be the best, that’s what you strive for,” Hartley said. “It’s hard to stay at that level because there are so many good people doing it now. They’re all trying to buy the same horses.

“This was just an amazing horse. We very rarely see these kinds of horses come through the 2-year-old sales. But he never missed a beat. From the breeze to showing, when you’re around him for five seconds, you can see that he breathes different air than other horses.”

The colt was a $575,000 purchase as a weanling at the 2024 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Hartley and DeRenzo selected the colt on behalf of Tom Durant of Granbury, Texas in the name of Durant’s Classic Equine. The colt was bred in Kentucky by Edward Seltzer and Beverly Seltzer of Williston, Florida and W.S. Farish of Houston.

“The colt is generational,” OBS president Tom Ventura said. “We are grateful to the owners and Hartley, DeRenzo for allowing us to sell the horse.

“Honestly, Dean and Randy were the first true believers of the April Sale. They were totally committed to the select sale. Silver Charm put us the map. They’ve done it for a long time and they’re not doing it with 50 horses a year, they’re doing it with a relatively small group of horses. Kudos to them.”

Two more juveniles brought at least $1 million during Friday’s session to bring the total number of seven-figure horses at this sale to seven.

Hip 1221, a colt by Girvin, was purchased by West Bloodstock as agent for Robert E. and Lawana Low for $1.6 million. Consigned by Top Line Sales as agent, the colt is out of the Curlin mare Soma, a half-sister to Grade 2-winner Celestial City. 

“For the quality the money is always there,” Top Line Sales’ Jimbo Gladwell said. “She’s just gotten better every day we’ve had her. She showed up here in a big way and she brought down the house here at the end.”

Hip 1136 brought $1 million from new owner Asagi Stables. Consigned by Ciaran Dunne’s Wavertree Stables, the dark bay or brown filly is by Not This Time out of the graded stakes-placed mare Moana, by Uncle Mo. Moana is a half-sister to Grade 1-producer Palisadesprincess.

Hip 1037 sold to Three Amigos for $850,000 out of Jesse Hoppel’s Hoppel LLC as agent consignment. The dark bay or brown filly is from the first crop by Early Voting out of the American Pharoah mare Lipstikliesnlovers, a half-sister to stakes-placed Naval Aviator and Entertainer.

The top-selling Florida-bred on the day was Hip 1188 that brought $260,000 from Fahad Bin Omairah. By first crop sire Epicenter and consigned by Ciaran Dunne’s Wavertree Stables as agent, the bay colt is out of stakes-placed Tapizar mare Nomizar, a half-sister to Grade 1-placed Paige Anne. The colt was bred in Florida by George and Karen Russell’s Rustlewood Farm located in Reddick.

The best-selling Florida-bred eligible for the new $1 million Florida Sire Racing Incentive progam was Hip 970, General Liam, who sold for $135,000 to Justin Casse and Bawnmore. The gray or roan colt is by Ocala Stud’s freshman sire Colonel Liam out of Kathrynkitty, by Cario Prince, a half-sister to stakes-winner Mirai and stakes-producer Mononoke. The colt was bred in Florida by Robyn Kaiser, of Ocala. 

The Florida Sire Racing Incentive Program pays $20,000 to the owner and $5,000 to the breeder of eligible 2-year-olds who win open and restricted maiden special weight, allowance, allowance optional claiming and stakes races at Gulfstream and Tampa Bay Downs in 2026.

Gross sales on the day were $34,858,000 generated from 140 head with an average of $248,986. That compared to $19,073,000 in gross sales on the final day last year when 142 juveniles averaged $134,317. The median jumped from $70,000 last year to $100,000 Friday.

The big day Friday helped bolster a number of records for the OBS Spring Sale.

The $113,823,00 in gross sales from 637 head bested last year’s record number of $92,129,000 in gross sales from 638 sold. The $178,686 average price exceeded the previous record average of $138,709 set last year and the $80,000 median jumped the previous record median of $70,000 during the 2024 Spring Sale. The median price in 2025 was $65,000. The total RNA rate came in at 17.8% compared to 16.6% in 2025.

Hartley/De Renzo was the leading consignor with $13,550,000 generated from selling three head. Wavertree Stables sold 24 juveniles for $8,620,000 to rank second and Top Line Sales sold 30 2-year-old Thoroughbreds for $6,575,000.

Zendan Racing Stables led all buyers with the lone purchase of the record Flightline colt while D. Farrington ranked second, buying five juvenile Thoroughbreds for $3,530,000. Case Clay Thoroughbred Management bought six head for $2,125,000 to rank third on the list of leading buyers.

“I do think you saw some depth here. The top typically takes care of itself but there was plenty of money in that second and third tier for horses all through the week,” OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said. “That was the impressive thing all week was not just the domestic buyers but the increased amount of interest we saw from all regions of the world. A deeper bench of buyers from Japan, more and more of the Middle East buyers coming in, European buyers. It just continues to grow.

“We are the largest 2-year-old sale in the world. No one sells more 2-year-olds over more days than OBS. And I think it just continues to prove itself as the 2-year-old source to the world.”

OBSOnline will be hosting a “Second Chance” auction for horses who breezed during the April Sale and either scratched or failed to meet their reserve. The April digital auction will begin at noon ET on April 24 and conclude at noon April 28. Entries for the online sale close April 21.

The next live auction on the OBS calendar is the June Sale of Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age set for June 16-18. The under tack programs will be conducted June 9-13.

–portions of this story were taken directly from an OBS press release

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

Return to the April 17 issue of Wire to Wire