Big Gains for OBS Abbie Road Colts Top Both More thoroughbred yearlings sold for more gross sales for higher averages at this year’s two-day Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale held Oct. 12-13, when compared to last year. For the Selected Yearling Session on Oct. 12, 99 horses sold for a total of $4,498,500, up 32.4% compared with 86 yearlings bringing $3,397,000 a year ago. The average price was $45,439, up 15% compared with $39,500 last year, while the median price was $32,000, rising 14.3% compared with $28,000 in 2020. The buyback percentage was 26,1%; it was 36.3% a year ago. For the Open Session on Oct. 13, 276 yearlings sold for a total of $5,173,500, compared with 258 bringing a total of $2,811,900 a year ago. The average price was $18,745, up 72% compared with $10,899 in 2020, while the median price was $15,000 double the $7,500 figure a year ago. The buyback percentage was 18.1% compared with 21.3% a year ago.
Hip No. 67 ■ Judit Seipert Photo
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THE FLORIDA HORSE • NOVEMBER 2021
Cumulative figures saw 384 head sell for $9,887,500 compared to last year when 344 yearling brought $6,208,900, an increase of 59.2%. The cumulative average went from $18,049 a year ago to $25,749 this year—a jump of 42.68%. “The market has been good since the Spring with the 2-year-old sales and then the yearling sales have been good in Fall so it continued here,” OBS president Tom Ventura said. “That was good to see. The purses at a lot of racetracks have risen and I think there is opportunity with tracks that may not be on the high end offering competitive purses and that is an important piece of the puzzle to attract new investors. The star consignor for the sale was Lisa McGreevy and her Abbie Road Farm, who consigned the top selling colts on both days for $170,000 each. For the sale, Abbie Road Farm was the second leading consignor with 38 head generating $1,211,500. Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck’s Summerfield lead all consignors with $1,361,000 from 38 head. Elusive Thoroughbreds was the leading buyer having purchased four head for $383,000. The second leading buyers were Nick and Jaqui de Meric, who purchased seven yearlings for $377,000 in the name of their de Meric Sales as an agent. Topping the Selected Session was Hip 67, a son of Midnight Storm consigned by Lisa McGreevy’s Abbie Road Farm as an agent. The dark bay or brown colt sold to Elusive Thoroughbreds for $170,000. The dark bay or brown colt is out of stakes-winning Unbridled Energy mare Sterling Madame, a half-sister to stakes-producer Blushing Royale. The Open Session top seller was Hip 442, a son of Ransom the Moon also consigned by Abbie Road Farm as an agent, that went to Redwings for $170,000. The dark bay or brown colt is out of Bold Lady, by Aikenite, a half-sister to Grade 1-placed, stakes-winner Mambo in Seattle. Both horses were pinhooked by brothers Israel and Alex Chavez, who purchased the Midnight Storm colt for $27,000 and the Ransom the Moon colt for $11,000, both as weanlings at Keeneland November. They have their training operation based locally at the Ocala Horse Complex. “My brother and I have been working in this business for years but went out on our own two years ago so this is very exciting,” Alex Chavez said. “I want to thank Lisa McGreevy and her entire team
