by Pete Denk

A Maria’s Mon filly sold for $130,000 on Tuesday at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. June sale of two-year-olds in training and horses of racing age, which experienced a 46.7% drop in total sales compared with last year.

OBSC reported 146 horses as sold for total sales of $2,132,100. Average price dropped 30% from opening day last year to $14,603, and median declined 30.8% to $9,000.

The buy-back rate was 29.5%, compared with 15.8% a year ago. Two horses reached six figures, compared with seven a year ago.

“The highlights were the two upper-end horses. The Maria’s Mon filly and the Fusaichi Pegasus filly sold well,” OBSC General Manager Tom Ventura said. “There’s still demand for the quality. Both horses had some pedigree and performed well on the racetrack.”

Ventura said the results pointed to less demand for horses in an open sale at the end of the juvenile season, but he wanted to wait for Wednesday’s results before evaluating the status of the market.

“I think we have some quality tomorrow. I don’t want to make a complete judgment on the sale when we’re only halfway there,” Ventura said. “Our April sale held up very well. The numbers in April were off much less than what we experienced today.

“I don’t know if we have quite enough demand for the lower-end horses. Maybe some people have already filled their orders.”

Shim Racing purchased the session topper from the consignment of Wavertree Stables, agent. The Maria’s Mon filly out of Merit Wings, by Silver Hawk, was a $130,000 purchase at the Keeneland September yearling sale and was listed as reserve not attained on final bid of $80,000 at the 2009 Fasig-Tipton Calder sale of selected two-year-olds in training.

“It just goes to show you can’t hardly hide a good horse,” said Ciaran Dunne of Wavertree. “She was originally in the Fasig-Tipton Miami sale and she was going to sell really well. She worked super; she had a [long pastern] chip and everybody ran away and hid. So we brought her home, took it out, and here she is. She was every bit as good a horse here as she was down there. Thanks goodness [bloodstock agent Mike Shannon] was here to find her.”

Christina Jelm, agent for Eamon Cleary, purchased the day’s second six-figure horse, a Fusaichi Pegasus filly for $122,000. A half sister to Argentine champion Salt Champ (Arg), she is out of Wandel (Arg), by Fitzcarraldo, and was consigned by Harris Training Center, agent.

Harris was leading consignor by total sales with five horses sold for $204,000. As they have been at other recent Ocala sales, Korean buyers were a strong presence on Tuesday. The Korean Racing Authority was the day’s leading buyer with nine purchases for $158,000.

Pete Denk is sales editor for Thoroughbred Times