The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. (OBS) has cataloged 523 horses for its March select sale of 2-year-olds in training. The number is up 13.7% from last year’s total of 460.
The auction is scheduled for March 17 and 18 in Central Florida.
In 2008, the March sale turned in a strong performance, generating sale records of $33,380,000 for gross, $143,262 for average price, and $100,000 for median price. Seven horses sold for $500,000 or more apiece, another all-time high for the auction.
“We’ve been gradually progressing with the March sale, and it had some significant increases last year, which gave consignors even more confidence,” said OBS general manager and director of sales Tom Ventura.
There are a couple of other factors that might have contributed to the increase in the auction's number of horses.
OBS is located in Central Florida, where many yearling-to-juvenile pinhookers are based, so the sale helps them cut down on their expenses because they don’t have to travel far. That is a consideration of growing importance at a time when the economy is struggling. In addition, OBS installed a synthetic surface on its track that received favorable comments from buyers and sellers in 2008, during its first year of use for sales of 2-year-olds in training.