The OBS March Sale of Selected Two Year Olds in Training has been consolidated to one day and gets underway on Tuesday, March 11th at 10:00 a.m. All 411 horses cataloged will be sold in one continuous session, streamed live via the OBS website at obssales.com and the Blood-Horse and DRF websites.
The March Sale has long been a source of top class racehorses, as OBS Selected Two-Year-Old Sales have produced the winners of 17 Eclipse Awards, 13 Breeders’ Cup races and 38 millionaire graduates.
Since the beginning 2013, OBS March graduates have won or placed in 176 stakes races, winning 72 of them including 27 graded stakes wins. Six March graduates scored grade one wins, highlighted by a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) by Michael E. Pegram , Karl Watson, Paul Weitman’s Secret Circle. It was the third graded stakes win for the colt by Eddington, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint at two, and the Southwest (G3) and Rebel Stakes (G2) at three. He was sold for $165,000 by Flying Fish, Agent, at the 2011 OBS March Sale.
Last year’s March Sale graduates wasted no time paying dividends. Twenty-eight youngsters, nearly 12% of horses that went through the ring, have won or placed in stakes races to date.
Gaining greater international importance, the 2013 March Sale produced Yukio Baba’s unbeaten Asia Express, a near unanimous choice as Japan’s 2013 champion two-year-old colt. Winner of the $1.3-million Asahi Hai Futurity (G1) at Nakayama Racecourse in December, He has earned 88,131,000 yen (est. $850,000 U.S.) to date. The Florida-bred colt by Henny Hughes was purchased by Narvick International for $230,000 from breeder Ocala Stud at the 2013 OBS March Sale.
Last year’s sale also produced three other grade one winners. Reddam Racing LLC’s Bond Holder came into the $250,000 FrontRunner Stakes (G1) a maiden, but rallied from off the pace to run past fellow OBS graduate Dance With Fate (April ’13) in deep stretch and score by 2-1/4 lengths. The colt by Mineshaft was sold by Crupi’s New Castle Farm, Agent, for $125,000.
Westrock Stables LLC’s ill-fated Secret Compass came running late in the $250,000 Chandelier Stakes (G1) and was up late to win by a head. The daughter of Discreet Cat was sold for $425,000 by Eddie Woods, Agent.
Conquest Stables’ My Conquestadory started just three times, but won two graded stakes including Keeneland’s prestigious Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1). Breaking her maiden in Woodbine’s TVG Summer Stakes (G2) on the turf over males in her debut, the daughter of Artie Schiller was sold for $240,000 by Eisaman Equine, Agent.
Eclipse Thoroughbreds Partners’ 2012 March graduate Capo Bastone turned in one of the summer’s most exciting moments, coming from far off the pace to win Saratoga’s $500,000 King’s Bishop Stakes (G1) by two lengths. The son of Street Boss was sold for $175,000 by de Meric Sales, Agent.
The Under Tack Show videos are posted online at obssales.com as well as viewable on site via video kiosks located around the sales pavilion. Current information about OBS sales, consignors and graduates is now also available via social media sites Facebook and Twitter. A link on the homepage directs users to either site.