BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Acting for Amr Zedan’s Zedan Racing, bloodstock agent Donato Lanni signed the ticket for a record-setting $3 million colt by Gun Runner to electrify the final session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company March Sale Thursday. The handsome gray or roan colt, who produced the sale’s fastest eighth mile in :9.60 at Saturday’s under tack program, will be sent to trainer Bob Baffert’s barn in Southern California. Cataloged as Hip 654 and consigned by Eddie Woods as agent, the colt is out of the winning Liam’s Map mare Tynan, a half-sister to Grade 2-winning Florida-bred Pappacap and Grade 3-winning Florida-bred Boppy O.

“I mean he wasn’t a secret. He’s a pretty cool horse and everyone loved him,” Lanni said. “Just very lucky to get him for Amr Zedan. We always come here to look for nice horses and he was nice horse.

“[Zedan] is pretty excited and Gun Runner is a tremendous stallion. This colt worked really well, he galloped out good, he did everything you’d want one to do. Just excited about him.”

The brilliant colt also provided an emotional day for Woods, who is planning to retire following the upcoming OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training in April.

“It’s like winning the Olympics,” an emotional Woods said. “My God, the only way to go out is on top. That’s the only way. It’s been 31 years in April that we started selling here.

We’ve done well here. We’ve made a lot of money here; we’ve lost a lot of money here. It’s just the way it is.

“The three million I couldn’t see coming,” Woods continued. “I mean, there hasn’t been a 2-year-old selling for $3 million in a long time. He’s just a special horse and that’s what it takes to get that thing done. Now I hope he’s lucky for them.”

He is the most expensive 2-year-old ever sold during the OBS March Sale, breaking the previous record of $2 million set by two colts in 2019 and 2023.

 

Lanni went to $2 million at the 2023 OBS March Sale when he purchased a son of Good Magic. Consigned by Top Line Sales, Muth has since become a multiple Grade 1 winner with earnings of $1,589,600 for Baffert and owner Don Alberto Corporation.

Muth equalled the record $2 million purchase price set during the 2019 March Sale for Chestertown, a stakes-winning son of Tapit that was purchased by Lane’s End Bloodstock as an agent for West Point Thoroughbreds, Rob Masiello and Siena Farm. That colt was consigned by Becky Thomas’s Sequel Bloodstock as agent for Chester and Mary Broman, who later bought back a portion of the colt.

The Gun Runner colt was one four seven-figure yearlings sold Thursday including Hip 721, a filly by first crop sire Maxfield who went to Ramiro Restrepo’s Marquee Bloodstock as agent for $1.25 million. She is out of All in With Aces, by Quiet American, a half-sister to stakes producers Pray for Aces and Ely Runner. Consigned by de Meric Sales as agent, the filly is a half-sister to Grade 1-winner and multiple graded stakes-winner Hard Aces and Grade 3-placed, stakes-winner Astrollinthepark. The filly breezed an eighth mile in :9.80 at the breeze show.

“Her work was pretty outstanding, not just in the time but the way that she did it,” Restrepo said. “She was a very talented filly. When you went back there to see her, she was just showing herself with a ton of class. Obviously, there were a lot of people on her. This filly comes from Carrie Brogden [of Machmer Hall] and they’ve produced so many Grade 1 horses on their farm. And Maxfield is a very exciting horse.”

Tristan de Meric acknowledged he was surprised by the price.

“You never expect that much,” he said. “We knew that everyone was there that could get her over that million-dollar mark but when it does happen you have to really be thankful because they don’t come around like her a lot.”

AMO Racing USA LLC purchased Hip 636 for $1.05 million out of Ciaran Dunne’s Wavertree Stables Inc., as agent consignment. The bay filly is by Quality Road out of the graded stakes-placed, stakes-winning mare Toasting, by Congrats, a half-sister to stakes-winner Riversrunrylee. She worked a :9.80 eighth mile at the under tack show.

“AMO is looking for high end fillies that can go two turns on the dirt… …and this filly fit the mold,” said Ben McElroy, who signed the ticket on behalf of AMO Racing. “She breezed very well, she’s by a top sire of fillies. She’s been on our hit list right from the get-go. We’ll take her back, assess her and make a decision on a trainer. She’s not a filly that is going to be running super early, so we have time.”

Four Hips after the Maxfield filly, a Nyquist colt brought $1 million as Hip 725. Shannon Potter on behalf of Epic Horses LLC as agent purchased him out of David Scanlon’s Scanlon Training and Sales as agent consignment. The bay colt is out of Alottalute, by Midnight Lute and is a half-brother to stakes-winners Street Lute and Alottahope. He worked a furlong in :10 flat at the under tack show.

“He was just a great mover on the track, and I really liked him physically,” Potter said. “He’s just what (Epic Horses) is looking for as far as trying to buy a few decent colts. He’ll go to (trainer) Todd (Pletcher). He ticked all our boxes. We thought he was going to be expensive…but we’re tickled to death to have him.”

 

Spendthrift, West Point, Schurman and CJ Stables purchased Hip 798 for $875,000 after the colt worked a quarter mile in :20.60 at the breeze show. Consigned by Pick View LLC as agent, the bay colt is by freshman stallion Yaupon, out of Blue Grass Mary, by Bluegrass Cat, a half-sister to Grade 3-winner Lexington, stakes-placed Speed Hunter, stakes-producers Fast Included, Se Bella and Black Chocolate. 

Case Clay Thoroughbred Management had the final bid of $750,000 to acquire Hip 765, a Gun Runner filly out of Baffling, by Graydar, a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Constitution, Grade 2-winner Boynton and Grade 3-winner and graded stakes-producer Jacaranda. The colt worked a quarter mile in :21.20 out of consignment of Pick View LLC as agent.

Ocala Stud’s reliable stallion Adios Charlie produced the most popular Florida-bred of the sale, a bay colt that garnered $410,000 selling as Hip 764. The bay colt is out of the Ocala Stud-bred mare Baby Sister, by Uncaptured, a half-sister to multiple Grade 3-winning Florida-bred Shane’s Girlfriend. Narvick International purchased the colt out of the consignment of Ocala Stud, who also bred the colt.

The average prices skyrocketed above last year as 151 head averaged $166,897, a 12.7% jump compared to the $148,123 average on the final day of last year’s March Sale. Gross sales also increased to $25,201,500 in contrast to last year when 131 head generated $19,404,100 in gross sales. The median, however, decreased from $75,000 last year to $62,000 Thursday.

“I thought it was a great sale, it was a fun three days,” OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said. “The quality of horses showed through in the prices. Really from the day after the under-tack show when most of the people were getting here to look at horses, there was a ton of activity on the grounds. You could really feel the juice in the air.”

 

Wojciechowski also made a point to recognize the contributions Eddie Woods has made to the success of OBS through the years.

“Eddie (Woods) has been a big part of OBS for a number of years now…and he’s been instrumental in the growth and evolution of the 2-year-old sales,” Wojciechowski continued. “It was very gratifying to see him go out like that.”

The three-day cumulative average price was $152,845, representing a increase of 6.3% compared to the $143,698 average last year. Gross sales edged above the 2024 auction as 429 sold for $65,570,500 compared to 454 juveniles bringing $65,239,100. The median dropped slightly for the three days from $72,000 last year to $70,000 this year.

Jimbo and Torie Gladwell’s Top Line Sales led all consignors during the three days, selling 22 juveniles for $6,954,000. Eddie Woods was the second leading consignor with revenues of $6,448,500 on 19 Thoroughbreds. Ciaran Dunne’s Wavertree marketed 17 2-year-olds for $5,565,000.

Donato Lanni for Zedan Racing was the leading buyer with the lone purchase for $3 million while Japanese trainer Hideyuki Mori purchased eight 2-year-olds for a total of $2,090,000. John Kimmel and Nick Sallustor for Flanagan Racing LLC purchased two head for $1,750,000.

Next on the calendar at OBS is the Spring Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale on April 15-18. The under tack programs will be conducted on April 6-12.

Return to the March 13 issue of Wire to Wire