The two-day Ocala Breeders’ Sales Winter Mixed Sale ended on Wednesday, January 25 with increases across the board. For the entire Winter Mixed Sale, 377 horses sold for a total of $6,357,700, compared to 414 horses bringing $6,646,600 last year. The average was $16,864, up from $16,055 in 2022 while the median price was $10,000, compared with $8,500 a year ago. The buyback percentage was 11.7%; it was 11% in 2022.

Stronach Stables’ in Aurora, ON, sold a few horses of racing age including RIPTIDE ROCK, who was a close second in the 2021 Queen’s Plate and is a graded stakes placed Ontario-bred by Point of Entry. Consigned by Kaizen Sales (Richard Kent), agent, Riptide Rock was purchased by Randy Miles for $72,000 to top the Horses of Racing Age section. The 5-year-old chestnut gelding is out of Irish Influence, by Stephen Got Even, a daughter of graded stakes winner Relaxing Rhythm.

There were plenty of Canadian buyers at the Florida auction which offered horses of all ages.

Manitoba trainer SHELLEY BROWN purchased six horses, four of them 3-year-olds, for a total of $79,700. Her most expensive purchase was an unraced Nyquist gelding out of Karakorum Electra (dam of very fast Woodbine winner Elektronic) for $42,000, a private sale. The Nyquist fellow worked 3 furlongs in 34 seconds flat for the sale.

Shelley Brown purchases:

219 – 34.4 2020 G Cloud Computing Donna Gail Woodside Ranch, Agent I     Shelley Brown 3,500
222 – G 2020 G Favorite Light City of Light Favorite Candy RiceHorse Stable (Brandon & Ali Rice), Agent I   Shelley Brown 7,000
239 – 34 2020 G Nyquist Karakorum Elektra Coastal Equine LLC (Jesse Hoppel), Agent VI     Shelley Brown 42,000 PS
253 – 33.4 2020 F Tale of the Cat Morning Rush Coastal Equine LLC (Jesse Hoppel), Agent IV Shelley Brown 10,000
260 – 33.3 2017 M Chicago River Awesome of Course Petite Riviere Kim Harrison (Top Speed Farm), Agent II Shelley Brown 4,200
309 – 47 2020 F Micromanage Autumn Ash King of Kings, Agent I Shelley Brown 10,000 PS

Nick Nosowenko, who has had a lot of success purchasing horses of racing age over the years, bought two horses for a total of $17,500:

288 – G 2019 G Langcutis Unified Song of Solomon Oscar Brown Stables, Agent I Nick Nosowenko 7,500 PS
320 – 2020 F Good News Money Good Samaritan Knoxy Colin Brennan Bloodstock, Agent XV Nick Nosowenko 10,000

Mike Newell, as agent, purchased the unraced 4-year-old Wilberforce, by Kitten’s Joy from the family of Horse of the Year Alywow, for $5,500.

Greg Cox, as agent, signed the ticket for $20,000 the Irish bred 4-year-old unraced colt Unexpected Outcome (Ire), a son of More Than Ready out of a Galileo mare.

Next on the OBS agenda is the expanded March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training, scheduled for March 20–22. The Under Tack Show is set for March 14–17, beginning each morning at 8:00 a.m.