by Cynthia McFarland
A filly by Peace Rules brought $250,000 on Wednesday to top the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. June sale of two-year-olds and horses of racing age.
John Wieczorek, whose Avalon Farm is located in Verdigris, Oklahoma, purchased the sale topper, a tall, racy filly by freshman sire Peace Rules. Out of the All Gone mare Long Gone Lady, the bay filly is a half sister to stakes-placed winner Britten’s Beauty. Wieczorek was impressed with her three-furlong breeze in :33.40.
“Her video would stand out to anyone,” said Wieczorek, who plans to ship the New York-bred filly to trainer Larry Jones and race her with his wife, Ann.
Michael Yates’s Shadybrook Farm, agent, consigned the filly for New York client Ruggeri Stable.
“I thought she had every right to top the sale here,” said Yates, who broke and trained the filly. Yates said he appreciated that the filly’s owners were willing to wait until June so she had time to mature.
The two-day sale concluded Wednesday with 367 horses reported as sold for $7,864,700, a 14.6% increase compared with the 2007 OBSC June sale. The average price of $21,430 dipped 1.3% from $21,711 last year, and median was unchanged at $13,000.
The buy-back rate of 18.8% was a sharp decrease from 32.3% last year.
“It was solid. The buy-back rate is probably the most noticeable number,” said Tom Ventura, OBSC general manager and director of sales. “There were buyers here at different price ranges to fill the gaps. The better horses certainly were very competitive. Things went very well all season and it continued right through.”
The top-priced colt on day two was a Gulch colt purchased for $170,000 by agent Barry Berkelhammer on behalf of Purple Haze Stable in New York. Consigned by Eisaman Equine, agent, the Maryland-bred colt breezed one furlong in :10.40. He is out of the Cozzene mare Maryland Mist, a half sister to Grade 3 winner Foufa’s Warrior.
Bidding via telephone, Kentucky owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey took home two of the session’s top-priced fillies, including a striking gray Exchange Rate filly for $170,000. Consigned by Stephens Thoroughbreds, agent for Vision Sales, the filly drilled one furlong in :10. She is out of the Saint Ballado mare Infinity.
The Ramseys also secured an elegant Sky Mesa filly, named Carla, for $135,000. Out of the Boundary mare French Line, Carla is a half sister to stakes-placed winner Yesiremychickadee. Consigned by Ciaran Dunne’s Wavertree Stables, agent, the filly turned in the co-fastest eighth-mile workout of :10.
Silverton Hill went to $155,000 for a classy bay filly by Concorde’s Tune from the consignment of Ocala Stud. The leggy filly worked two furlongs in :21.20. She is the first foal out of the winning Notebook mare Helen’s Notebook.
Agent Joseph Brocklebank, bidding on behalf of Repole Stable, purchased the sale’s highest-priced colt on day one, going to $210,000 for a dark bay or brown Yonaguska colt. Consigned by Paul Sharp, agent, the colt is a half brother to Illinois Derby (G2) winner Recapturetheglory.
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Cynthia McFarland is a Florida-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent