FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 OBS JUNE CONTINUES WITH SOLID RESULTS SIKURA'S FAITH by Jessica Martini REWARDED BY OCALA, FL - Steady trade continued through the second session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company June Sale of 2-Year-Olds GRADE I EXACTA Thursday in Central Florida, with a filly by Nyquist bringing the day's top bid when selling for $420,000 to Gary Hartunian's Rockingham Ranch. The session-topping juvenile was consigned by Eddie Woods. AIt was another good day,@ OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said at the close of business Thursday. AWe carried a lot of the momentum that we had yesterday into today and I think it will carry on through tomorrow.@ With two sessions in the books, OBS has sold 380 head for $15,776,500. The two-day average is $41,517 and the median is $18,000. With 106 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 21.8%. Cont. p3 IN TDN EUROPE TODAY Maclean's Music | Hill 'n' Dale O'BRIEN RUNNERS ON ASCOT COMEBACK MISSIONS Joseph O'Brien's Group 1-winning juveniles Thunder Moon by Chris McGrath (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Pretty Gorgeous (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) will make their returns at Royal Ascot next week. Click or tap here to It is now a decade since John Sikura was walking through a go straight to TDN Europe. Lexington steakhouse and glimpsed, on a screen over the bar, a bay colt coasting clear of his pursuers with sparks coming from his heels: :21.24, :43.48, 1:07.44. He was puzzled: it wasn't yet the weekend, and he wasn't aware of any stakes being run that day. Seven lengths in a hand ride. Then they told him that this was just a maiden race out at Santa Anita. Sikura couldn't believe his ears. He wasn't alone: a 114 Beyer for this son of Distorted Humor was the highest ever awarded for a debut. To Sikura, this was an epiphany comparable to the time he was making a fishing trip in Argentina and hooked Candy Ride (Arg) running a mile in 1:31 flat. In the event, that horse would only start his stud career at Sikura's farm before moving on; but Maclean's Music has conversely initiated a relationship, with breeder Barbara Banke of Stonestreet, that has meanwhile only strengthened through the arrival at Hill 'n' Dale of Curlin, Good Magic and Kantharos. Cont. p9 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Senior Contributing Editor Friday, June 11, 2021 Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN Deputy Editor Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Associate Editors Christina Bossinakis @CBossTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN News and Features Editor In Memoriam: Ben Massam (1988-2019) ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Project Manager Rachel McCaffrey Advertising Assistants Amie Newcomb Kristen Lomasson Photographer/Photo Editor Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] Social Media Strategist Justina Severni A horse takes time to smell the flowers during this week's OBS June Sale. | Photos by Z Associate Producer Katie Ritz BREATHNACH NAMED TO KEENELAND SALES POST 12 Director of Customer Service Much-respected bloodstock consultant Cormac Breathnach, who has Vicki Forbes served for the last four years as director of stallion nominations at [email protected] Airdrie Stud, has been named the director of sales operations at Marketing Manager Keeneland. The Irish native replaces Geoffrey Russell, who announced Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen his retirement in April, but is remaining in a consulting role. Chief Financial Officer Ray Villa AFTERCARE BILL PASSES IN NEW YORK 13 [email protected] [email protected] The New York State Assembly has passed an aftercare bill which, among other things, prohibits the slaughter of racehorses and breeding stock. WORLDWIDE INFORMATION The bill moves on to Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is expected to sign it. International Editor Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] European Editor Emma Berry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • JUNE 11, 2021 OBS June Day Two cont. Through two sessions of the pandemic-delayed 2020 sale, 336 head had sold for $9,395,600 for an average of $27,963 and a median of $13,000. At the close of the day, the buy-back rate was 28.3%. In 2019, 429 juveniles had sold through two session for a gross of $13,839,200. The average was $32,259 and the median was $17,000. The buy-back rate at the end of the second session in 2019 was 25.4%. Sellers had concerns that the middle and lower end of the market would be weaker without the presence of Korean buyers, but Wojciechowski said the domestic bench had stepped up, not just at the June sale, but throughout the spring. Tod Wojciechowski | Photos by Z AI think there has been strength throughout the market,@ he said. AParticularly on an overall scale for the 2-year-old season, we were missing a big part of our buying bench in the Koreans. I went on the record in March that I thought we could pick up the slack and I got a few sideways looks, but I think domestically, we've done a great job of picking up the slack and filling the hole that the Koreans left in the market. Hopefully, they will be back next year. But I still think one thing that has impressed at this sale and throughout the season is the depth that we've had in the market.@ Consignors still felt the absence of the Korean buyers, who are not only traditionally prolific buyers in the middle and lower market, but also tend to force other buyers to bid higher. AThere is money for the right horses, but if you don't have the horse, it's over,@ Woods said. AThere is no one for the rest. We are missing our Koreans for the mopping up. And I suppose there are only so many horses that can get bought anyway.@ Still, competition for the perceived quality lots was still strong as the juvenile sales season marched towards its conclusion. Cont. p4 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 14 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • JUNE 11, 2021 AThis is our fifth [purchase],@ Lloyd said after signing the ticket on the session topper. ABut yesterday we got outrun four out of five times. It's very competitive. The ones that look good and perform well, they are going to get sold. The market is strong and it's going to continue to get stronger. We are through COVID and the purses in New York and Kentucky and Arkansas are so huge.@ The OBS June sale concludes with a final session Friday with bidding beginning at 10:30 a.m. Nyquist Filly to Rockingham Ranch Gary Hartunian's Rockingham Ranch added a filly by Nyquist to its roster when Kim Lloyd made a final bid of $420,000 to acquire hip 543 from Eddie Woods's consignment at OBS Thursday. Hip 543 | ThoroStride AWe loved this filly,@ Lloyd said. AShe is a beautiful filly. Eddie is Lloyd, who did his bidding from the back of the pavilion while a good friend of mine. He was telling me about her and how he on the phone with Hartunian, had to outlast Donato Lanni, who gave her the time off. And when you give a young horse time off was doing his bidding out back. Lloyd admitted he had often like that and they come around like that, this is what you get. come out on the losing side of bidding battles with the well- She goes from here to the races. We're very excited.@ backed Lanni. The chesntut filly is out of stakes winner Midnight Ballet AIn September, we were the direct underbidder five times,@ (Midnight Lute) and worked a furlong last week in :10 1/5. Lloyd said of bidding against Lanni. AAnd then, seven other times AI loved the length of her stride,@ Lloyd said of the juvenile. when I quit at $250,000, they lapped me...$500,000, $510,000. AShe's a scopey filly. You can see that she hit a growing spell.@ Twelve horses that I landed on, Donato bought.@ Cont. p5 Want to list your job? 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