BY OBS PRESS OFFICE
OCALA, FL—Dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse has been named the sixth chairman of the board in the history of Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company, succeeding Francis Vanlangendonck, who steps down after 35 years on the OBS board.
Vanlangendonck had held the position of chairman since 2022, succeeding Mike O’Farrell, who was elected chairman in 2007 and was an OBS board member for nearly 40 years. George Onett was the first chairman in 1975, followed by Harry T. Mangurian Jr., Norman E. Casse, O’Farrell and Vanlangendonck.
Casse and his wife Tina manage the Casse Racing operations from their base in Ocala. His father, Norman E., was a founding member of OBS and chairman of the board for more than 20 years. Mark became a board member in 2001 and secretary-treasurer in 2022. Casse has won more than 4,100 races to date with career earnings exceeding $274 million. He has been inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
Dr. Barry Eisaman will continue as vice president of the OBS board. Eisaman, a veterinarian, was first elected to the OBS board in 1996 and secretary-treasurer from 2010-2021. Along with his wife Shari, Eisaman operates Eisaman Equine based in Williston. Many of the elite racing stables in the country rely on Eisaman Equine to provide the foundation for their young horses for their racing career and to rehabilitate older horses for their return to the races.
David O’Farrell will serve as secretary for OBS. He was elected to the OBS board in 2022 and serves as the TOBA Board of Trustees chair, steward at The Jockey Club and a member of Breeders’ Cup Limited. The O’Farrell family’s Ocala Stud is celebrating their 70th year anniversary and is synonymous with the Florida thoroughbred breeding industry and OBS. David and his brother Joe are now directing operations, taking over the helm from their father, Mike O’Farrell. Another generation back, Joe O’Farrell, was a promoter of Florida breeding and pioneer of the 2-year-olds in training sale concept. He was one of the founding members of Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company in 1974 and the first vice president of OBS.
James L. (Jimbo) Gladwell, IV was elected treasurer of OBS. He joined the OBS board in 2021. Gladwell is a third-generation horseman with deep roots in Ocala and, along with his wife Torie, operates Top Line Sales, a leading consignor of 2-year-old sale. Among the Grade 1 winning graduates of Top Line Sales are Princess Noor, Arabian Knight, Saudi Crown and Muth.
Joining the OBS board for the first time are Tristan de Meric of de Meric Sales and William B. Russell, DVM of Peterson Smith Equine Hospital. The rest of the board includes Tom Ventura; Jonathan I Green (DJ Stables); John Penn (Pennston Farm); Bryan Rice (Woodside Ranch); George Russell (Rustlewood Farm), Paul Sharp and Eddie Woods.
Return to the February 10 issue of Wire to Wire
