'Some horses do things out of the ordinary' - $1.8 million Win Win Win filly takes the plaudits at OBS

The final session of the Ocala Breeders' March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training concluded with a filly from Florida-based freshman sire Win Win Win taking top honours at $1.8 million to lead the entire auction. Agent Donato Lanni purchased the precocious bay for Amr Zedan's Zedan Racing from the Ocala Stud draft. 

Bred by her consignor, Joseph O'Farrell, David O'Farrell, et al, in the Sunshine State out of the Union Rags mare Unanimity, the filly (hip 788) turned in the fastest quarter-mile move during the under tack show, stopping the clock in :20 1/5.

"You come to a sale like this every year, and you never know what you'll see or expect," Lanni confessed. "That's what's great about the two-year-old sales. Some horses do things out of the ordinary. Everybody witnessed her unbelievable breeze; she did the same thing the week before. For her to do what she did coming from the Ocala Stud outfit, they are great, honest people, and I trust them. She's a cool filly, and every time I went and saw her, she was out of the stall."

Unanimity is a half sibling to Grade 3-placed Courtesan and stakes winner Chary. They come from the family of Lady Discreet, a half -sister to Grade 1-winning sires Discreet Cat and Discreetly Mine.

The filly will now travel to the West Coast and join Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert's string. 

Donato Lanni: "Bob loved her as soon as he saw her after the breeze show"

Lanni added: "Bob loved her as soon as he saw her after the breeze show and quite liked her quickly- she's pretty on the eyes."

"I'm absolutely speechless. I don't know whether to laugh or cry," David O'Farrell commented. "I mean, it's incredible. She is a special filly, the fastest we've had, and we've been doing these two-year-old sales for a long time. She's been a spectacular filly. She performed every time we sent her out to the racetrack. The sky's the limit for her."

Hip 788 was the highest-priced horse Ocala Stud has sold, eclipsing Chapel Royal, who sold for $1.2 million to Demi O'Byrne at the 2003 OBS Selected Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

"It was an exciting day, I'm very excited for Ocala Stud," OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski said. "They are a legacy consignor here at OBS, their history and reputation within the industry is important to both OBS and the industry and to see them do well was gratifying." 

Win Win Win captured the 2020 Forego Stakes in his last start at four; he accumulated a record of 5-3-1 in 12 starts and $601,600 in earnings, including placing in both the Tampa Bay Derby and Blue Grass Stakes.

The son of Hat Trick stands here in the Sunshine State at Ocala Stud for an advertised fee of $5,000.

"We're super excited about the stallion," O'Farrell said. "We love what we are seeing, and there's more to come in the later sales and crops. It's remarkable to recruit the stallion and to bring on great partners in Live Oak, who bred and raced the horse, and also Airdrie Stud as a partner, and to have supported him heavily to carry him to the two-year-old sales for our own crop is super rewarding. To get him off to a great start, we couldn't be happier about his prospects and for the team that supported him thus far."

A second seven-figure horse was sold on Thursday, a colt by fellow freshman sire and Horse of the Year Authentic, realising $1 million online from Resolute Bloodstock. Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds consigned the colt as hip 601; he breezed a furlong in :09 4/5 during the under tack preview.

The chestnut was bred in Kentucky by Gainesway Thoroughbreds out of the stakes-placed Smart Strike mare Ruby Trust, a producer of three foals, with her first being a runner. The colt was a $260,000 pinhook from the Keeneland September Yearling Sale last year by his consignors and Tom Durant.

"The market is all or nothing," consignor Randy Hartley said. "There is no in-between. We knew we had a good group of horses this year, and we have a bigger group overall than we normally have, which makes it hard because you're never going to get all the people to come in and like everything. Everyone seems to land on the same ones. That is the trend now."

The third session saw the top ten horses sell for $450,000 or more to ten distinct buyers. The top six horses were by sires: Win Win Win (hip 788 - $1.8 million), Authentic (hip 601 - $1 million), Bernardini (hip 613 - $875,000), Constitution (hip 617 - $800,000), and Uncle Mo (hips 681 and 832 - $600,000).

"I thought the sale was deep with good horses, a lot to choose from, and very athletic," said Marette Farrell, who purchased the $875,000 Bernardini filly on Thursday. "The consignors did a good job bringing early, forward horses to the March Sale and not waiting until April. If it's a good horse, it will be found. If it is showing a bit more precocity, they are bringing it to this sale because they know people will find the athletes.

 "It's becoming increasingly tough; the top horses are gathering momentum," Farrell added. There is a little bit of darkness in the rest of the market because I think it's the first sale of the season, and people are sitting on their hands a little bit for a lower-level horse."

Thursday's session saw 125 horses of the 178 go under the hammer and sell for final receipts of $18,912,600, down 21.4 per cent over the previous year. The average price dipped 3.8 per cent to $151,301, and the median increased 6.7 per cent to $80,000. Some 53 horses failed to meet their reserve, representing an RNA rate of 29.8 per cent.

"I think consignors are more comfortable knowing and being confident that they can put a horse in either March or April and do well," Wojciechowski said. "The consignors who have brought those types of forward horses have been rewarded and others have seen that."

The $1 million Authentic colt was the second seven-figure horse at the OBS March Sale on ThursdayCredit: Z/Joe DiOrio

Over the past three days OBS recorded 447 of the 597 horses on offer were traded for a $66,487,600 gross, down 7 per cent over 2023 results. The average price of $148,742 was down 3.4 per cent, and the median remained unchanged at $75,000. Some 150 individuals failed to sell, representing a 25.1 per cent RNA rate.

"When it was good, it was really good, and you got rewarded," David Scanlon of Scanlon Training & Sales commented. "Those horses that you needed to sell for the middle to lower market in the range of $75,000 to $100,000, it was more challenging. Often, it was just one buyer over the reserve. You need to evaluate the market and set your reserves right. Overall, it was a little soft in the middle but excellent on the high end. It is polarised."

Lanni, as agent for Zedan, was the session three leading buyer on account of the $1.8 million filly. Perennial leading consignor de Meric Sales sold 16 head for receipts of $2,979,100 to be the session leader. They also finished the sale as the leading seller, with 40 horses sold for $6,595,100. Japanese trainer Hideyuki Mori made ten purchases over the past three days for receipts of $2,695,000 to be the leading buyer.

Wojciechowski added: "Mr Zedan has had tremendous luck and success with his purchases from the OBS March Sale, so it's gratifying to have them come back and shop time and time again."

Hartley added, "It's going to be interesting to see what happens in April [at the OBS Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale]. I feel like some people hold horses for April."

Scanlon added: "I'm optimistic about April. This sale [March Sale] is the haves and have-nots. In April, we'll have a bigger and more diverse buying group. We'll have people from the regional markets showing up. When they pick just one sale to attend, they tend to pick April in the same way Keeneland September is for the yearlings. They get such a variety in April. I look forward to having a big group in April."

"Overall, it was a terrific sale, and we are looking forward to April," Wojciechowski said.

OBS will now turn the page to the Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale on April 16-19, with an under tack preview from April 7-13.

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