Filly by The Factor Tops OBS Winter Opener
Blood-Horse
On a final bid of $190,000 from George Bolton and Peter Leidel, a yearling filly from the first crop of multiple grade I winner The Factor topped the consignor preferred session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s winter mixed sale Jan. 28.
Bidding was lively on the attractive gray or roan filly, a half sister to stakes winner and graded stakes-placed Southern Dude out of the winning Cobra King mare Viva Vega, a full sister to stakes winner Follow Me Home.
Kim Harrison of Top Speed Farm, agent, consigned the session topper, who sold as hip No. 105.
“She’s a beautiful filly,” said John Moynihan, who signed the ticket on the Louisiana-bred filly. “We thought as nice as she is it would be too expensive to buy her later on. George and Peter are very excited to have her.”
Bolton campaigned The Factor in partnership with Fog City Stable. The fast son of War Front won the 2011 Malibu Stakes (gr. I) and the 2012 Pat O’Brien Stakes (gr. I), as well as the 2011 Rebel Stakes (gr. II) for trainer Bob Baffert en route to career earnings of $922,180. The Factor stands at Lane’s End.
A total of 124 horses sold for gross receipts of $2,462,200 in the consignor preferred session, down 20.3% from last year’s corresponding session where 154 horses brought $2,962,700. The average price was $19,856, compared to $19,238 a year ago. The median price was $10,600; it was $15,000 last year.
Buy-back percentage dropped from 31.9% last year to 21%.
“I think it was a very steady day, the numbers indicate that,” said Tod Wojciechowski, OBS director of sales. “We are pleased that the buy-back rate was down. We sold fewer horses, but we also had fewer cataloged.”
EQB Inc., agent for Zayat Stables, went to $90,000 for the second-highest price horse of the session, a yearling filly by WinStar stallion Pioneerof the Nile out of the Doneraile Court mare Cinnamon Kisses. Consigned by Summerfield (Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck), the Louisiana-bred filly hails from the female family of grade I winners and millionaires Stellar Jayne and Starrer.
“I thought she was lovely,” said EQB’s Patrice Miller, who signed the ticket. “She has page, she’s big, and she jumped through all of our hoops. I think she was one of the best in the sale.”
Robert Harris of Harris Training Center signed the $80,000 ticket for Pyrite Final, a 9-year-old mare by Formal Dinner in foal to Ocala Stud stallion Kantharos , Florida’s leading first-crop sire of 2014. Consigned by Boutte Sales, agent, the mare (hip No. 44) is a half sister to stakes winners Forest Picnic and Pyrite Springs, and is the dam of stakes-placed Morgans Harbour. Harris bought the horse for an undisclosed client.
“It’s a live family and we like Kantharos,” said Harris of the session’s most expensive broodmare. “We figured we would take a shot on her.”
Kantharos also rang the bell with hip No. 179, a yearling colt consigned by Andy Cant, agent. The Florida-bred sold to Southern Chase Farm for $70,000, and is from the female family of millionaire Benny the Bull.
The winter mixed sale continues Jan. 29 with an open session, immediately followed by a horses of racing age section. The sale will be streamed live at bloodhorse.com/OBS beginning at 10:30 a.m.
