The second session of the March Ocala Breeders Sales during the Training Sales, March 21, saw fireworks late in the day. The bid between coach Steve Asmussen and agent Donato Lanni continues to escalate, reaching a fever of $2 million for a son of good magic .
“We really liked this pony, everyone saw what he did, and if you go to the store long enough, you see a few horses doing what he did,” Lanni said. “It’s extraordinary, his breeze, the way he comes back from the breeze and the way he’s handled himself all week. We’re here to buy high-quality horses, and I trust you. It’s one of them.”
Bidding on behalf of Amr Zedan’s Zedan Racing Stable from the press box, Lanni won with her final blow, along with Hall of Fame coach Bob Baffert. The foal was consigned as Hip 546 by Top Line Sales, the dealer, and was rewarded perfectly: 9 3/5 during last week’s ongoing show.
“This game is not easy,” said Tori Gladwell of Top Line Sales. “Every day, you wake up knowing that something is wrong, and you just pray. We have good luck, good faith and a good team backing us up. (We) are very lucky. We have Princess Noor and Arabian Knight; hopefully this pony is better than both. We sell a good product and hope that they perform well. That’s all they are. What I try to do is sell a good, good and fast product that people like.”
Bred by Don Alberto in Kentucky, the foal was sold last year for $190,000 during Keeneland’s September Annual Sale to Bishop Bloodstock, a Gladwell family partnership. The pony is the first pony to win Uncle Mo mare hoppa .
“We tried to buy that horse in Keeneland; it’s a bit light on the page, but physically, it’s an 11+. That horse is great on the stables, and the Good Magic is just average when they are. I bought the horse,” Gladwell said. “We took a little risk, and it worked; Good Magic is hot right now. The horse that just bloomed turned into an incredible athlete. It’s just a medium-sized horse, with It’s a machine on the track; it’s fun to watch him progress. He’s galloping incredibly fast, and you don’t even want those kids to go. so fast, but he does it too easily; it comes naturally to him.”
Top sales were the top consignor in the session, with six horses sold for a total of $3,360,000. Eddie Woods came in second with a total of $2,910,000 for 12 horses sold. Lanni was the top buyer on Day 2 with his only purchase.
Donato Lanni at OBS
“I was expecting him to have a good price, good horses for a good price and he is a standout,” Amr Zedan told BloodHorse by phone. “He showed an incredible breeze, looked the part and most importantly Bob fell in love with him. Donato played chess for the horse and Bob loved what he saw; we gathered. and the rest is history.”
We are so excited to add this beautiful pony from Good Magic @ZedanRacing. He won very quickly: 9 3/5 and was bought for 2,000,000 dollars. @OBSSales @TopLineTBs pic.twitter.com/EDP0m8BZaV
– Zedan Racing Stables, Inc (@ZedanRacing) March 21, 2023
Zedan added: “It’s hard to find horses of this quality, and our motto is we’ll stop when we own them. Good horses demand a high price and that’s essential to get them. winner. Let’s hope he shows it on the track and makes all of us proud. Our program and dream is the Kentucky Derby.”
At the end of the second session, OBS reported 151 horses had been sold out of the 206 offered for sale for a total of $25,178,000, matching the median price of $166,742 and the median of 90,000. dollars. Fifty-five horses failed to meet their reserves, representing an RNA ratio of 26.7%.
Tod Wojciechowski, OBS sales manager, said late Tuesday: “That was another sales record for March, another $2 million horse. “Shippers don’t mind bringing a good horse here; they know they can get money for them.”
In the second session last year, 169 horses out of 204 were traded through the ring for a final figure of $22,111,000. A median price of $130,834 and an average price of $70,000 were recorded. Thirty-five horses did not sell, representing 17.2% RNA.
There were nine horses sold for $500,000 or more in the second session; out of those nine, there are eight different buyers.
Cumulatively over the past two sessions, 293 horses out of 399 through the ring were sold for a total value of $46,044,500, matching the $157,148 median and $85,000 median. Of the horses offered, 106 were unsold, representing an RNA ratio of 26.6%.
During last year’s two-session sale, 374 horses that changed hands of 431 were offered for a total of $49,271,000, with an average price of $131,741 and an average price of $75,000. Fifty-seven horses failed to meet their reserves to represent an RNA ratio of 13.2%.
While 200 Horses extended the OBS March Sale with a third day of sale, OBS president Tom Ventura did not attribute that day’s success to the cancellation of the Fasig-Tipton Bay Area Sale. .
“I think there are a few horses here that may have been shipped to Gulfstream, but we have 800 horses in this sale, 200 more than last year,” Ventura said. “The clincher average is roughly the same as last year, so we might have one or two horses, but at the end of the day, only 35 horses were sold at Gulfstream last year and less than 100 were placed in the class. So we might have picked up a horse or two from there that we’re grateful for, but I think the March sale has its own merits.”
Jimbo and Torie Gladwell at OBS
After two days of sales, Top Line Sales sold nine individuals with a proceeds of $5,125,000 to become the cumulative top depositor. Lanni remains the top cumulative buyer with a $2 million single purchase.
“It’s a great sale, very good quality individuals…for good people,” commented dealer Mike Ryan. “If you have a quality horse, you’ll do well. If not, it’s not so good.”
The sale ends March 22 with the Hips 557-833 starting through the round starting at 11 a.m. on Tuesday night OBS reports 65 horses pulled out of Tuesday’s session.
