Francis Vanlangendonck becomes the fifth chairman of the board in the history of Ocala Breeders’ Sales. Mike O’Farrell resigns after nearly 40 years as an OBS board member. George Onett was the first president in 1975, followed by Harry Mangurian Jr., Norman Casse and O’Farrell.
Vanlangendonck runs Summerfield Sales with his wife, Barbara. Prior to being elected president, Vanlangendonck was a member of the board of directors of OBS since 1990, becoming secretary/treasurer in 2005 and then vice president from 2007-21. Summerfield has been a longtime top shipper at OBS. Last year, Summerfield ranked 15th nationally with a coveted revenue of nearly $9 million. Their full-service farm includes a pool for rehab and prep and hatchery conditions.
O’Farrell was elected to the OBS board in 1983, was vice president from 1986-2006, and president from 2007 before stepping down this year. The O’Farrell family’s Ocala Stud has been a mainstay in Ocala since 1956 with Mike and his two sons, David and Joe, now directing the operations. Ocala Stud is synonymous with the Florida livestock industry and OBS. His father, Joe O’Farrell, was a true promoter of ranching in Florida and a pioneer for the 2-year-old in sales concept training. He was one of the founding members of OBS in 1974 and was the first vice president of OBS.
Barry Eisaman was elected vice chairman of the OBS board of directors. Eisaman, a veterinarian, has been the secretary/treasurer of OBS since 2010 and was first elected to the OBS board in 1996. Together with his wife, Shari, Eisaman runs Eisaman Equine, a who is regularly present and sends top goods at OBS 2 years -years of sales training. Many of the top racers in the country rely on the Eisaman Equine to provide the foundation for their young horses for their racing careers and rehabilitate older horses for their return to races.
Mark Casse was elected secretary/treasurer. He and his wife, Tina, manage extensive Casse Racing operations from their base in Ocala. He has been a member of the board of directors of OBS since 2001 and his father, Norman, was a founding member of OBS and chairman of the board of directors of OBS for more than 20 years. Mark has won more than 3,200 races as a coach with a career income approaching $200 million. He has been inducted into the National Museum of Racing and the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and Hall of Fame.
Joining the OBS board for the first time are David O’Farrell (Ocala Stud) and Paul Sharp (Paul Sharp Stables). The rest of the board includes Tom Ventura (chairman), Carl Bowling, Nick de Meric (Sales de Meric), Jimbo Gladwell (Top Sales), Jesse Hoppel (Coastal Equine), John Penn (Pages). Camp Pennston), Bryan Rice (Woodside Ranch), and Eddie Woods.
