Ocala, Fl. – The Under Tack Show for the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s 2020 March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training begins Thursday, March 12th.
There are three sessions, with Hips 1 – 227 breezing on the first day. Hips 228 – 454 will go Friday, March 13th and Hips 455 – 681 will go Saturday, March 14th. All three sessions will begin at 8:00 a.m. The Under Tack Show and Sale will be streamed live via the OBS website as well as the DRF, TDN and Blood-Horse websites.
A total of 681 juveniles are cataloged for the two-day sale, set for Tuesday and Wednesday, March 17th and 18th, with both sessions beginning at 10:30 a.m. Hip 1 – 340 will sell on Tuesday; Hips 341 – 681 will sell on Wednesday.
The past year saw more of the kind of racing results horsemen count on when they come to Ocala in March. Since the beginning of 2019, 111 March graduates were on the board 229 times in stakes races, with 49 horses accounting for 70 stakes victories. At the game’s highest level, 48 March grads won or placed 83 times in graded stakes with 22 scoring in 30 graded events.
The brightest star to emerge from last year’s March Sale was Jeff Drown and Don Rachel’s unbeaten Structor, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) as well as Belmont’s Pilgrim Stakes (G3). The now 3-year-old son of Palace Malice, trained by Chad Brown, has earned $709,500 to date. Consigned to the 2019 March Sale by Pick View LLC, he breezed an Under Tack quarter in :21 1/5 before he was sold for $850,000. watch his under tack video
The 2019 March Sale also produced Reddam Racing LLC’s well-traveled Fore Left, who took Belmont’s Tremont Stakes in June, Santa Anita’s Sunny Slope Stakes in October and then scored in the UAE 2000 Guineas (G3) at Meydan in February. Those races helped propel the 3-year-old colt by Twirling Candy, trained by Doug O’Neill, to a 9-4-0-2 career record with $355,902 in earnings. He was consigned by Wavertree Stables to the 2019 OBS March Sale, where he went through the ring after turning in an eighth in :10 flat at the Under Tack Show. watch his under tack video Meydan race video
The international impact of last year’s sale was also underscored by Koichi Nishikawa’s Cafe Pharoah, who rose to the top of the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby winning the recent Hyacinth Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse. Unbeaten in two starts for trainer Noriyuki Hori, he has earned $237,059 since his purchase for $475,000 by Narvick International, Agent, out of the Eddie Woods consignment at the 2019 OBS March Sale after breezing an Under Tack quarter in :21 1/5. watch his under tack video watch a video of the race
The heaviest hitting March graduate for the past year has been Mucho Gusto, whose first start for new owner HRH Prince Faisal Bin Khaled was a 4-1/2 length victory in the 2019 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Bob Baffert, the 4-year-old colt by Mucho Macho Man has won or placed in seven graded stakes, also taking the Bob Hope (G3), Robert B. Lewis (G3), Lazaro Barrera (G3) and Affirmed (G3). He has compiled a 12-6-2-2 career record and earned more than $3.9-million after being consigned by Kirkwood Stables, Agent, to the 2018 OBS March Sale, where he went through the ring after breezing an Under Tack eighth in :10 flat. watch his under tack video
When it came to speed, it was hard to outrun Crawford Farms Racing’s 2018 March graduate Shancelot, who began his career winning three straight, the last a 12-1/2 length victory in the Amsterdam Stakes (G2) at Saratoga. He ran 6-1/2 furlongs that afternoon in 1:14 flat after six furlongs in 1:07 3/5, shading Imperial Hint’s track record 1:07 4/5 set a day before. After placing in the H. Allen Jerkens (G1) and Santa Anita Spring Championship (G1, he ended the year with a second to fellow OBS graduate and champion Mitole (April ’17) in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1). The 4-year-old colt by Shanghai Bobby turned in an Under Tack eighth in :9 4/5 before he was purchased for $245,000 out of the Kings Equine consignment. Now sporting a 6-3-2-1 career record, he has earned $624,300 to date. watch his under tack video
Tom R. Durant’s three-time graded winner Silver Dust successfully defended his title in the Fair Grounds’ Mineshaft Stakes (G3) in February, improving his career record to 26-6-7-2 for trainer Bret Calhoun and boosting his earnings to $762,277. The 6-year-old gelding by Tapit was consigned by de Meric Sales, Agent, to the 2016 OBS March Sale, where he turned in an Under Tack quarter in :21 2/5 before he was sold for $510,000. watch his under tack video
Recent March Sale grads to make headlines include Texas Wedge, winner of Santa Anita’s Joe Hernandez (G2), Blended Citizen, who captured the Louisiana Stakes (G3) at Fair Grounds and Phat Man, winner of the Fred W. Hooper (G3) at Gulfstream. The latest March graduate to make the grade is JCA Racing Stable LLC’s Trophy Chaser, who out-fought favored King for a Day to take the Challenger Stakes (G3) on the Tampa Bay Derby undercard this past Saturday.
The entire March Sale catalog can be viewed via the OBS website at http://obssales.com. The website’s searchable and sortable master index provides links to under tack videos, pedigree and consignor information as well as pedigree updates occurring since the catalog was printed. It has also been updated to allow shortlist creation. A link to instructions for using the new features can be found in the index header and a step by step tutorial is available in the index as well.
The iPad version of the entire catalog is available via the equineline Sales Catalog app. The app allows users to download and view the catalog, record notes and also provides innovative search, sort and rating capability. For information and downloads visit: http://www.equineline.com/SalesCatalogApp/.
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.
Under Tack results will be available on the OBS website, updated throughout each session. In addition, the latest news regarding OBS graduates, sales schedules, nominations, credit requests, travel information and other news relevant to OBS consignors and customers is also available. E-mail should be addressed to obs@obssales.com.
For more information regarding the March Sale or OBS website, please call (352) 237-2154.