OCALA, FL – The juvenile sales season, which set records at all its major 2026 stops, continued to churn out new highwater marks as it reached its conclusion with the end of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s June 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale Thursday. The three-day auction had its highest-priced offering ever when a filly by Justify sold for $1.4 million Wednesday and it concluded Thursday with its highest-ever gross and an average that just edged past last year’s previous record figure, while the median tied last year’s record mark.
Through three sessions, 556 juveniles sold through the ring in 2026 for a gross of $28,488,500. That surpassed the auction’s previous record gross of $27,092,000 set in 2022. The average of $51,238 just edged last year’s previous record of $51,107, while the median of $25,000 matched the record mark set last year.
With the addition of post-sale transactions, the 2025 two-day June sale saw 507 horses sell for a gross of $25,473,000, an average of $50,243, and a median of $25,000.
All three of the OBS 2-year-olds in training sales this spring set records, beginning with the March sale which produced its highest-ever gross and continuing on to the April sale which had its highest-ever gross, average and median.
“It’s been a banner year for us, obviously, with the records that we’ve set through all three sales and ending on a high note with the June sale,†said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. “We’re very excited and very happy with the results of the year.â€
From 999 catalogued head, 704 were offered and 148 failed to meet their reserves for a buy-back rate of 21.0%. That figure was continuing to decline Thursday evening with the addition of post-sale transactions.
The buy-back figure of horses through the ring a year ago was 17.1%.
“I think we sold a lot of horses at a lot of different price levels,†Wojciechowski said. “You always want to see more, and more at different levels, but there was still plenty of trade of horses. Given the increase in gross and average, we still held pretty steady on the RNA rate.â€
Donato Lanni, who made an eye-popping $10.5-million to acquire a colt by Flightline for Amr Zedan at the OBS Spring sale, made the highest bid of the final session of the juvenile sales season when going to $650,000 to acquire a colt by Medaglia d’Oro on behalf of the Saudi businessman. The session-topping price at the end of the season was no surprise to Lanni.
Donato Lanni, left, with Susan and Charles Chu in the Met Mile winner’s circle | Sarah Andrew
“All year, there has been a lot of strong bidders for the good horses,†Lanni said. “Every year, it seems to get stronger and stronger and stronger. I think there is a lot of money out there and people want to have fun.â€
Wojciechowski added, “When you watch the races, there always seems to be a shortage of horses. I think there is money out there for people who enjoy racing and the 2-year-old sales give people the opportunity to get to the races quicker. So, I think a combination of all of those things add up to a great sales season.â€
Jimbo Gladwell of Top Line Sales agreed the demand was there for the top horses throughout the spring.
“I think the 2-year-old sales season was truly extraordinary overall, when you look at it from 1,000-foot view,†Gladwell said. “It was really polarized at the top end. We saw some real fireworks. Everybody wants the creme of the crop and only the ones that hit that exact bull’s eye. It’s very difficult to hit the mark, but if you do, you really get paid for it.â€
Pinhookers bought into a red-hot yearling market last fall. Was the market they sold in this spring up to that same level?
“The top end of the market was kind of the same [as the yearling sales],†Gladwell said. “It was very hot for the best horses, but once we breeze them, if you miss the mark at all, the real depth of the market showed. It was pretty thin across the middle and the bottom of the market. We were buying in such a hot market at the yearling sale and that even trickled into the weanling sale. So I think you’re going to see the yearling pinhookers see a little bit of that probably.â€
As the yearling sales begin next month, Gladwell thinks the Top Line plan will remain the same.
“We are just going to go in there and try to buy the best horses we can buy,†he said. “You always set numbers and just try to buy the best physical you can buy. We don’t tend to put too much emphasis on pedigree, just try to buy the physical specimen and see what we can get done.â€
‘Looks Fast’: $650k Medaglia d’Oro Colt to Zedan
On his way out of town as the final 2-year-old sale of the year wound down Thursday, bloodstock agent Donato Lanni made one last purchase going to $650,000 to acquire a son of Medaglia d’Oro (hip 824) on behalf of Amr Zedan. The dark bay colt, who worked a furlong in a co-bullet :9 4/5 during last week’s under-tack preview, was consigned by Marcial Galan on behalf of co-breeders Jason Hall, Herschel Martindale, Joe Wheeler and David Branch.
Hip 824 | OBS/VidHorse
“He’s by Medaglia and he looks very fast,†Lanni said. “We want something that we are going on with him and hopefully get him ready to run this year.â€
The colt is out of Scarlet Emerald (Desert Party), a mare Jason Hall claimed for $15,000 at Mountaineer in 2018. The mare is also the dam of multiple stakes-placed Naughty Lottie (Midnight Lute).
Following the colt’s bullet work last week, Hall explained his presence in the June catalogue.
“About halfway through the winter, he bumped his forearm maybe just on a water bucket and developed a hematoma, but that developed some bony growth,†Hall said. “So this colt missed three months of training over the winter.â€
Thursday’s result marked a career high sale for longtime consignor Galan.
The Galans | OBS/VidHorse
“This is the highest price I’ve ever had in my life,†Galan said. “I’ve sold like 200 horses in my life and this was the highest. My wife and I were about to cry. We work really hard and when something goes wrong, we feel like what did we do wrong, why are things going wrong. So, we are really happy with this.â€
Of the colt, Galan said, “Whoever bought this horse is going to have a really good horse. I am pretty sure you are going to see this horse in a stakes race.â€
The colt helped the consignment go out on a high for the year.
“This was our last horse for the year, so we are ready for vacation now,†Galan said.
The now-pensioned Medaglia d’Oro enjoyed a pair of big results within minutes of each other at the June sale Thursday. Just three hips after hip 824 sold for $650,000, an Ontario-bred colt by the sire (hip 827) sold for $400,000 to D. J. Stable. The juvenile was consigned by 30-30 Ranch, which purchased him for $25,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale.
Cross Traffic Colt Puts Double R on the Map
Ronaldo Rodas’s work at Mayberry Farm over the last two decades has seen him break all-time greats Zenyatta and Flightline, but the horseman enjoyed success under his own name at the OBS June sale Thursday. While he’s been buying and selling horses for years, Rodas is consigning under his Double R Equine Sales banner for just the second year and the young consignment had its biggest result to date when selling a colt by Cross Traffic (hip 715) for $170,000 to John Mentz. Rodas had purchased the gray for $10,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale.
Hip 715 | OBS/VidHorse
“He had long legs and he was skinny,†Rodas said of the colt last fall. “I thought he would fill out a little more. And we started from there.â€
The colt, who is out of One Hot Romance (Rock Hard Ten), worked a furlong in :10 1/5 at last week’s under-tack preview. He was always targeted at the June sale, according to Rodas.
“I knew he needed time,†Rodas said. “That’s why I didn’t take him to March or April. He was telling me, ‘Wait for me, wait for me.’ He would let me know when it was time. And he told me it was time.â€
Of the change in the colt from September to June, Rodas said, “It was a double change–a triple change.â€
Rodas sold horses with his brother-in-law for years before deciding it was time to start his own consignment.
“We did good with him, too, but I thought it was time to let people know me,†Rodas explained.
Double R had one-horse consignments at both the OBS March and April sales and offered three horses at the June sale.
“It’s a small consignment,†Rodas said of Double R. “Last year was a bad year for me. So this is really special for me.â€
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