The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s 2015 August Yearling Sale begins Tuesday, August 25th. There are 811 yearlings cataloged for the three-day sale, which gets underway at 11 a.m. with 217 horses offered in the Selected session. The Sale continues with two Open sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, August 26th and 27th. Hip No.’s 219-516 will be sold Wednesday; Hip No.’s 517- 813 sell on Thursday. Both Open sessions also start at 11 a.m.
Conformation photographs of Selected yearlings may be viewed through the Sortable Master Index on the OBS website at obssales.com. The Master Index also includes links to pedigree updates via equineline.com. Major recent updates have been compiled in a press release on the website: obssales.com/2015/08/essential-august-updates/. The most current update came Saturday when OBS June graduate Big John B successfully defended his title in the Del Mar Handicap (G2). His half sister by Broken Vow, Hip No. 191, consigned by Woodford Thoroughbreds, Agent for BryLyn Farm, sells Tuesday in the OBS Selected Yearling Sale.
The sale will be streamed live on the OBS, Blood-Horse and DRF websites. The website now includes a Spanish language section which can be accessed from the home page. The section’s index links to information for consignors and buyers, as well as press releases and important general information.
The catalog can also be downloaded for use with the equineline Sales Catalog iPad App. For more information and to obtain the application go to http://www.equineline.com/SalesCatalogApp/.
Twenty-two August graduates have gone over the million dollar mark in earnings with several active graded stakes performers on pace to join that club, a roster of graded stakes winners including Conquest Two Step, Distinctiv Passion, El Kabeir, Ekati’s Phaeton, Mr. Jordan and Quality Rocks. Since the beginning of 2014, 13 August Sale graduates have racked up 18 graded stakes wins, with 31 horses on the board in 49 graded races. During this period, August grads accounted for 75 stakes wins, and were on the board in 212 stakes.
The August class of 2014 is off and running. Twenty-four precocious youngsters are already winners paced by Dubb, Imperio, Alexander and Bethlehem Stables’ Magna Light. The son of OBS grad Magna Graduate scored at first asking at Belmont and then was much the best in Saratoga’s Sanford Stakes (G3), but was disqualified and placed third after an erratic run through the stretch.
The sale features a strong sire roster, with yearlings by stallions currently at the top of the general sire list. Bernardini, City Zip, Ghostzapper, Harlan’s Holiday, Kitten’s Joy, Malibu Moon, Pioneerof the Nile, Speightstown and Wildcat Heir have OBS August offspring, along with proven stallions Arch, Artie Schiller, Awesome Again, Awesome of Course, Blame, Broken Vow, City Zip, Congrats, Exchange Rate, First Samurai, High Cotton, Into Mischief, Kantharos, Line of David, Lookin At Lucky, Macho Uno, Majesticperfection, Mineshaft, Mizzen Mast, More Than Ready, Munnings, Northern Afleet, Quality Road, Tale of the Cat, Warrior’s Reward, With Distinction and Yes It’s True.
OBS August is always a showcase for newcomers to the stallion ranks, and the 2015 sale features the offspring of first crop sires Aikenite, Astrology, Biondetti, Bodemeister, Caleb’s Posse, Dialed In, Gemologist, Hansen, Jersey Town, Maclean’s Music, Mission Impazible, Overdriven, Shackleford, Stay Thirsty, Tapizar, The Factor and Union Rags.
Promising second crop sires Adios Charlie, American Lion, Archarcharch, Big Drama, Custom for Carlos, Dublin, First Dude, Gio Ponti, Gone Astray, Ice Box, J P’s Gusto, Telling, Tizway, Trappe Shot, Twirling Candy and Uncle Mo are all well represented as well.