For Immediate Release
Following a record-setting edition of its 2025 exercise, the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. March Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale looks to build off that momentum and further boost market strength when it kicks off the juvenile auction season March 10. A total of 816 horses are catalogued for the 2026 edition of the three-day sale, which runs through March 12.
Sessions will begin each day at 11 a.m. ET with Hips 1 – 272 selling March 10 followed by Hips 273 – 544 on March 11 and Hips 545 – 816 on March 12. The full catalogue can be viewed on the OBS website.
Last year’s OBS March Sale set the tone for an outstanding juvenile sales season when it posted gains in gross and average compared to 2024. Overall, a total of seven horses sold for seven figures during the 2025 auction, the most ever for an OBS March sale, highlighted by future Grade 1 winner Brant selling from the Eddie Woods consignment for a record OBS price of $3 million to Zedan Racing.
With his victory in last year’s Del Mar Futurity (G1), Brant became the third straight OBS March sale topper to become a graded stakes winner joining Nooni, who sold for $1.8 million to Zedan Racing in 2024, and multiple Grade 1 winner Muth, who sold for $2 million to Donato Lanni, agent at the 2023 March auction.
Given how challenging it was for pinhookers to buy at the yearling and mixed sales, there is optimism that an equally competitive landscape will continue to elevate the 2-year-old marketplace.
“According to these other sales (March) is set up to be a good strong sale. Every sale I go to, I’m having trouble buying horses because they’re so expensive,” said consignor Jesse Hoppel of Hoppel LLC. “I hope since I’m selling them here, it’s hard for them to buy them off me because I have so many people trying to buy them. Hopefully, the fact we had to give so much for them means we can sell them for a lot too. I think we’re on the verge of having a really great 2-year-old season.”
The strength at the top end of the market shows little sign of slowing down, particularly given the ample presence of international buyers on the sale grounds. Last year’s March Sale saw Japan-based Hideyuki Mori rank as the second leading buyer with eight head purchased for $2,090,000 and another diverse base of shoppers is expected to positively influence this year’s results.
“I don’t have any reason to expect it to slow down. I really don’t. If it slows down, that’s out of my ability to predict why,” said consignor Tom McCrocklin. “I’ve been waiting for 2-3 years for it to drop and it’s like a snowball; it keeps getting stronger and stronger. It’s very top heavy, you hear the same thing all the time. There is a premium for quality. What is perceived to be the best will bring plenty of money.”
This year’s under-tack show, which was held over four days, saw two horses – both by Gainesway first-crop sire Drain the Clock – equal the OBS track record for a quarter mile when they breezed in :20 1/5. The first came when Hip 284, a chestnut consigned by Hoppel LLC, hit that mark during Thursday’s under-tack session and was matched when Hip 748, a chestnut colt consigned by Doble J Equine Sales, posted that time on the final day of under-tack shows Saturday.
OBS March under tack show.
“I haven’t found one (Drain the Clock) I didn’t like yet,” Hoppel remarked.
The OBS March Sale has historically been one of the most productive juvenile sales. In 2025,sevenOBS March Sale graduates accounted earned Grade 1 wins including Brant, 2025 Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) winner and Eclipse Awards finalist Bentornato, 2025 Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) victor White Abarrio as well as Argos, Sandman, Scottish Lassie, and Velocity.
Notable graduates of the OBS March Sale include seven-time leading sire Into Mischief, Grade 1 winners Iscreamuscream and Speed Boat Beach, champions Forever Together, Midnight Lute, and Stardom Bound, and Breeders’ Cup winners Secret Circle, Structor and Stopchargingmaria.
The catalogue pages for all entries are available via the OBS website at obssales.com and in printed form at the sales.
The sale will be streamed live via the OBS website as well as the DRF, TDN, BloodHorse, Pastthewire, and Hipismo.net websites.
OBS again offers online bidding during the March Sale. Buyers will be able to go to the OBS website and register to gain bidding approval, then access the OBS Bidding Screen with their credentials. For complete information on registration and online bidding please go to the OBS website: obs-online-bidding
Current information about OBS sales, consignors and graduates is now also available via social media sites Facebook and ‘X’. A link on the homepage directs users to either site.
Sales results will be available on the OBS website, updated frequently during each session of the Sale. In addition, the latest news regarding OBS graduates, sales schedules, nominations, credit requests, travel information and other news relevant to OBS consignors and customers is also available. E-mail should be addressed to obs@obssales.com.