by Cynthia McFarland

As the first breeding stock sale of the season, the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. Fall mixed sale could well be a barometer of what to expect at similar sales during the next few months.

For the first time in a number of years, the sale will take place in just two sessions because of a fewer number of horses entered. In 2003 and ‘04, the sale covered four days. From 2005-‘07, it expanded to five days but was reduced to three days last year.

“With less mares being bred this year, it added up to fewer horses being offered,” OBS General Manager Tom Ventura said. “The majority of the reduction came in the open session. “We had one preferred session and two open sessions last October, and we have one of each this year.”

Ventura noted that the OBS sale was not alone in the reduced numbers, adding that the Keeneland November breeding stock sale is down approximately 1,000 head.

“I think it’s a combination of some breeders sitting on the sidelines waiting for things to improve and also for those culling out the bottom and not breeding horses when it’s not commercially feasible to do so,” he said. “You hope as things change that the breeders were able to make it through this rough patch and end up with a better group of horses at the end.”

When the 2008 fall mixed sale took place, the economy already had taken a pounding. Both average and median prices dropped about 40% from the 2007 sale.

Ventura admits it is difficult to predict where this year’s sale will be, but he hopes the final numbers will reflect last year’s reductions so the negative impact will not be as significant as was experienced during this summer’s yearling sales.

“All of the markets have certainly been impacted by what’s happened,” Ventura said. “At the end of the day, it’s the purses that horses run for that drive the demand. The purses are generated by how much people bet and other factors that enhance purses, including slot machines. We need those things to improve, as well as the general economy.

“The economy is certainly a factor, but we need the purses to go in the right direction. There are always things politically going on that could help. We hope the powers that be realize the importance of the industry and will help us.”

Florida ranks second only to Kentucky as a breeding state, and Ventura does not consider OBS auctions as regional sales. There are significant numbers of horses consigned that are not Florida-breds at each OBS event, so labeling them regional sales would be misleading,” he said.

The fall mixed sale is a perfect example as numerous stallions that stand outside the state of Florida are represented.

Buyers studying the catalog will notice a healthy number of new stallions that made headlines on the racetrack last year. Among the stallions that entered stud in 2009 and are represented by in-foal mares are Belgravia; Circular Quay; Cowtown Cat; Gaff; Gottcha Gold; Indy Wind; J Be K; Keyed Entry; Lewis Michael; Majestic Warrior; Midnight Lute; Red Giant; Showing Up; Sightseeing; Spring At Last; Straight Faced; Student Council; The Green Monkey; Tiz Wonderful; Xchanger; and Zanjero.

The catalog also includes offspring by numerous young sires represented by first-crop weanlings of 2009, including Aristocrat, Bob and John, Chapter One, Corinthian, El Nino, Exclusive Quality, Flashy Bull, Friendly Island, Half Ours, High Cotton, Jazil, Latent Heat, Lawyer Ron, Master Command, Pavarotti, Saint Anddan, Scat Daddy, Simon Pure, Stonesider, Stormello, Successful Ways, Sun King, Sweet Return (GB), Take Me Out John, Wild Desert, and Wilko.

“We’ve seen some of the weanlings that are coming in and the quality is very good. There are some higher profile sires in both the sires of weanlings and covering sires,” Ventura said.

The sale begins with the preferred session on Monday and concludes on Tuesday with the open session. Both begin at 10:30 a.m. EDT.

Cynthia McFarland is a Florida-based correspondent for Thoroughbred Times