EDITED OBS PRESS RELEASE
OCALA, FL—The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company begin their annual 2024 Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training Tuesday and run four days this week through Friday.
The Tuesday session begins at noon with Wednesday, Thursday and Friday sessions beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT. Hips 1-302 are set go on the block Tuesday, Hips 303-604 sell Wednesday, Hips 605-906 pass through the auction ring Thursday and Hips 907-1208 are scheduled for Friday.
The OBS Spring Sale is the world’s preeminent juvenile auction, producing champions, millionaires and Breeders’ Cup winners.
The sale will offer 216 Florida-breds, 56 of which are fully eligible for the lucrative Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida Sire Stakes.
For confirmation of those with FTBOA-registered status and those eligible for the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes, contact the FTBOA offices at 352-629-2160.
The Florida-bred program has recently been bolstered by HB7073, which extends Florida’s all-time strongest Thoroughbred breeding and racing incentives.
- $15 million in purses and/or facility improvements at Gulfstream Park, with a similar $5 million going to Tampa Bay Downs
- $5 million for the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association breeding and racing incentives and/or promotions; and
- $2.5 million in additional Florida-bred racing incentives
- Gross Florida breeder awards have climbed 52% and Florida-bred racing incentives gained 66% beginning in 2024
The FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes features a $1.2 million series of races for 2-year-olds at Gulfstream Park later this year. The program also includes the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Marion County and $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes City of Ocala for older horses in December at Tampa Bay Downs.
FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes-eligible runners compete for substantial bonus money attached to stakes and overnight races at both Florida tracks throughout the year.
Florida sires represented in this year’s OBS Spring Sale include Adios Charlie, Awesome Slew, Battalion Runner, Brethren, Cajun Breeze, Curling’s Honor, Gunnevera, Khozan, Neolithic, Rogueish, Seeking the Soul, St Patrick’s Day, Valiant Minister and Win Win Win.
You can track entries and results nationwide for Florida-breds, sortable by date, race type, track, horse, sire, breeder and owner here.
OBS Spring grads win from coast to coast and overseas. Since the beginning of 2023, 87 OBS Spring graduates have won or placed in 139 graded races, better than two per week, with 44 grads accounting for 55 graded wins, including those scored by the recent five Grade 1-winners on the catalog’s front cover.
Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.’s Arabian Knight, a two-time graded stakes winner, captured Del Mar’s $1 million Pacific Classic (Grade 1) in frontrunning style. Trained by Bob Baffert, the Uncle Mo colt has compiled a record of three wins and a third in five starts with earnings $1,544,275. He was purchased by Gary Young on behalf of Zedan Racing for a sale-topping $2.3 million out of the Top Line Sales consignment at the 2022 OBS Spring Sale after breezing an under tack eighth in :9.80.
Bob Baffert also trains Zedan Racing’s Arabian Lion, who took the $400,000 Woody Stephens (G1) at Belmont Park. The colt by Justify, a two-time graded-stakes winner, has compiled a 9-3-2-1 record of three wins from nine career starts with two seconds and a third while banking $498,100. He was purchased for $600,000 out of the Hidden Brook consignment at the 2022 OBS Spring Sale after turning in an under tack eighth mile in :10 flat.
Natalie J. Baffert and Debbie Lanni’s Du Jour passed the million-dollar mark with his recent victory in the Santa Anita’s $300,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1) at Santa Anita for trainer Bob Baffert. It was the third graded win for the son of Temple City who a career record of six wins, three seconds and two thirds from 17 races with $1,118,220 in earnings. At the 2020 OBS Spring Sale, he breezed an Under Tack eighth in :10.20 and was purchased Donato Lanni as agent for $280,000 out of the Off the Hook consignment.
Pierre Jean Amestoy, Jr., Leslie A. Amestoy and Roger K. Beasley’s Practical Move was a three-time graded-stakes winner, the last a victory in the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) for trainer Tim Yakteen. The 2022 OBS Spring Sale graduate was purchased for $230,000 out of the Eisaman Equine consignment after turning in an under tack eighth in :10.20 and had a career record of five wins in eight starts with a second and two thirds with revenues of $923,200 at the races.
FMQ Stables’ Saudi Crown was a wire-to-wire winner of the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx in September and more recently took the Louisiana presented by Relyne GI by Hagyard (G3) on Jan. 20 at Fair Grounds for trainer Brad Cox. The son of Always Dreaming has a 9-4-2-1 career record nine wins, four seconds a third with $2,982,085 in earnings. He was consigned by Top Line Sales LLC as agent to the 2022 OBS Spring Sale and sold for $240,000 after breezing an under tack eighth mile in :10 flat.
OBS will again offer online bidding during the Spring Sale.
The online catalog contains a sortable master index providing searchable pedigree and consignor information as well as access to pedigree updates occurring since the catalog was printed. Under Tack videos, walking videos and conformation photos are also available.
The sale will be streamed live via the OBS website.
Sales results will be available on the OBS website with daily recaps each night in Wire to Wire.
Brock Sheridan contributed to this article