The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. will close out an upbeat year with its fall mixed sale Oct. 16-17 in Central Florida. The season, so far, has been filled with gains in key business figures and several records have been established.
The fall mixed sale is the auction firm's sixth sale this year.
“We’re certainly hoping that the momentum we gained from earlier sales here carries forward,” said Tod Wojciechowski, director of sales for OBS. “But we do realize the economic times (the slow recovery from the recession) can have an effect. I guess the best thing to say is we are cautiously optimistic.”
There are 420 horses cataloged for the auction, with a consignor preferred session scheduled for the opening day and an open session set for the second day. Included in the group are 168 weanlings. There also are numerous in-foal mares, which require a long-term commitment from buyers. Consequently, the popularity of breeding stock often depends on how confident horsemen feel about the health of the Thoroughbred industry.
“If you looked at the (recent) Fasig-Tipton Saratoga mixed sale (in New York), the demand for weanlings seemed to be steady; there seemed to be good trade on those,” Wojciechowski said. “We’ll just have to see where the mare market goes. I don’t think it would be fair for me to prognosticate where that market is. One thing that bodes well for Florida is that the foal crop actually went up a little bit this year. Perhaps that displays a desire or willingness on the part of Florida breeders (to increase their involvement in the business).”
According The Jockey Club’s Live Foal Report for 2012, which was issued in September, reports had been received for 1,642 live Thoroughbred foals sired by Florida-based stallions. The total was up 4.9% from the 1,565 reported at the same time in 2011. Among the top 10 conception areas for live foals of 2012, only Florida experienced an increase.
The weanlings in the OBS mixed sale are by such sires as Big Brown , Congrats , Old Fashioned, Majestic Warrior, and Scat Daddy. First crop sires with weanlings in the auction include Kantharos , Super Saver , and Tale of Ekati .
Among the stallions with in-foal mares in the sale are Spring At Last, Colonel John, Flower Alley, Kitten's Joy , and Zensational. First-crop stallions with in-foal mares in the auction include Archarcharch, Big Drama, First Dude , and Uncle Mo .
“I think we’ve got a good catalog; we have a good representation of sires of weanlings and sires with in-foal mares,” Wojciechowski said.
The auction’s Oct. 16 session will begin at 1 p.m. (EDT) and the Oct. 17 session will start at 10:30 a.m.
