A colt, bred by the late Mike Carroll, was acquired by Wavertree Stables at the March 2-year-old sale for $750,000.
An Ontario-bred bay colt from the initial offspring of Mckinzie (Street Sense) fetched a substantial $750,000 during the premier session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Two-Year-Old in Training Sale in Florida on March 12.
Bred by the late Mike Carroll, who was the proprietor of Grandview Stables near Fergus, the colt was secured by relatively fresh owner Bill Childs, in partnership with his son Alex, who races under CSLR Racing. Bob Baffert has been appointed as the trainer.
The colt exhibited an impressive performance by completing one furlong in a swift 9 4/5 seconds. Last autumn, Cara Bloodstock’s Bernard McCormack, acting as the agent, sold the colt for $205,000 to Starline Thoroughbreds. Subsequently, the colt was sold by Wavertree Stables, with Ciaran Dunne representing as the agent. McKinzie, who clinched victories in the Whitney Stakes (G1) and Malibu Stakes (FG1) along with other grade 1 races, amassed earnings exceeding $3.7 million.
The Ontario-bred colt originates from the mare Breech Inlet, sired by Holy Bull. Breech Inlet has produced notable offspring such as Wonder Where and Ontario Damsel Stakes victor Merveilleux, who attained Grade 2 placement and accrued over $564,000 in earnings for owners Al and Bill Ulwelling. The Ulwellings not only have Merveilleux as a broodmare but also acquired Breech Inlet last November at Keeneland for $50,000 while in foal to Olympiad.
Another Ontario bred also performed admirably at the initial session of the OBS sale. A colt by Omaha Beach, out of the mare All Dressed Up by Super Saver, was purchased for $350,000 by Case Cay Thoroughbreds through pinhooker DeMeric Sales, acting as the agent. This colt, originally a $180,000 Keeneland September yearling, was bred by Jesse Korona. During the first session, 153 horses were sold, amounting to a total of $20,844,000, in comparison to 149 horses yielding $21,110,500 during the equivalent session last year. The top performer was a $1.2 million Tapit colt.
The average price stood at $136,235, in contrast to $141,681 a year earlier, while the median price was $72,000, compared to $70,000 in the previous year. The buyback percentage recorded was 26.4%, up from 22.8% in 2023. Noteworthy sales included a Not this Time colt that fetched $1.5 million.
Two Ontario breds achieved the $177,000 average for the session: a colt by More Than Ready – Paris Cruise, by First Samurai, was sold by Julie Davies, acting as the agent, to Ben Gowans for $360,000. The colt, bred by Mark Dodson, was also sold by the breeder last September at Keeneland for $120,000. Another colt, this time by Nyquist – Mexican Hat, by Street Cry, was bought by Fergus Galvin for $325,000.
The Nyquist colt, bred by Anderson Farms and Narola, was sold for $70,000 at Keeneland in September last year and clocked a time of 21 1/5 for two furlongs. He was sold by Caliente Thoroughbreds, the agent. During the second session, 144 horses were sold, generating a total of $25,488,000, compared to 162 horses grossing $26,294,000 in the same session last year. The average price rose to $177,000, from $162,309 in the previous year, while the median price remained static at $87,500. The buyback percentage surged to 31.7%, a notable increase from 21.4% in 2023.