The Mo Donegal filly consigned as Hip 177 in the ring at the OBS October Sale. (OBS/VidHorse Photo)
OBS October Yearling Sale
By Ben Baugh
A filly named Expectations by Mo Donegal went above and beyond topping the Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale, selling for $240,000 during the first session of the two-day sale that started on Oct. 7, 2025.
Consigned by Richard Kent’s Kaizen Sales, the filly bred by Peter Blum, Expectations was purchased by Christophe Nouvellet for Dream With Me Florida, LLC.
“She surpassed our expectations,” said Kent. “She basically behaved like a star from the time that we got her. It was almost unique because my daughter, who works for Brookdale Sales, had sold the mare carrying that baby for Mr. Repole. We all fell in love with her here, and she just emphasized what a classy filly she was.”
Expectations has black-type under her second and third dams, Gift List as a producer, and stakes winner Private Gift, who was a half-sister to Grade One winning millionaire Secret Status, and Grade Three winner Alumni Hall, and the producer of multiple graded stakes winners Private Mission and Secret Someone.
“You have that incredibly good filly Dubar Road (whose dam is Gift List) that Chad Brown had, who was just all class,” said Kent. “I remember watching her in Saratoga, and she was just striking in the paddock. Spendthrift called me and said that’s the highest priced Mo Donegal. We consignors are always a little overrated. It wasn’t the consignor; it was all the horse. It’s pretty hard to hide a really good horse.”
Beth Bayer consigned the horse that tied for bringing the second highest price at the sale, a colt by multiple Grade One winner Jack Christopher. Hip no. 251 was purchased by DiBello Racing Stables, LLC for $200,000.
“He was a nice colt, by a very nice first year stallion,” said Bayer. “We were looking forward to bringing him to the ring. We’re happy for the buyer.”
2-year-old consignor Paul Sharp was part of the partnership that owned the Jack Christopher yearling. Jack Christopher never finished out of the money during his career, winning five races from six starts, placing third once en route to bankrolling $1,216,400. Jack Christopher was conditioned by 5-time Trainer of the Year Chad Brown.
“He was part of our pinhooking partnership, weanling to yearling pinhooking partnership,” said Sharp. “He’s a beautiful horse, well-balanced, athletic and checked all the boxes, and I thought he would be a standout at OBS. We bought him back up at Keeneland, I think we had him misplaced, and he sold early in the sale on Book 3, Day 2, I thought he’d stand out down here, and that’s where we put him.”
The sale started off on an exceptional note with a Bucchero filly, hip no. 1 selling for $100,000, to Thorostock’s Nick Salusto, agent, signing the ticket. The chestnut filly, whose fourth dam was Group Three winner Borodislew, who produced Grade Three winners Seeking Slew and Canadian Frontier. Richard Kent’s Kaizen Sales consigned the Bucchero filly.
“When I got off the plane, people said, you have to go look at Hip no. one,” said Harlan Malter, Iron Horse Racing and Iron Horse Stallions managing partner, who has managed every aspect of Bucchero’s career, first as a racehorse and now as a stallion. “Obviously, the pedigrees are always a factor but as far as the physical, people told me across the board that she might be the best filly in the sale, and she got bought by a very good operation. I’m certain that she’ll head back as a 2-year-old in training, and maybe impress people there, and OBS will get another bite at the apple.”
The top three selling horses were sold during the opening session on Oct. 7. Kaizen Sales was the leading consignor, with 34 horses selling for $1,133,000. West Coast Equine was the leading buyer, purchasing 13 horses for $287,000.
There were increases across the board in all categories at the 2025 sale. There were 309 horses sold this year as opposed to 297 in 2024; the gross amount $7,267.700 was up from $5,724, 600 from the previous year; there was an increase in the average price of $4,245, from $19,275 in 2024 to $23,520 in 2025 and the median price which had been $10,000 in 2024 was $15,000 at this year’s sale.
Stallion Success
Bucchero continues to enjoy success as a stallion after moving from Florida to the Empire State. He has proven to be the number one stallion in New York by all metrics.
“We moved him to New York and had a good first season, breeding him to 112 mares, “said Harlan Malter, Iron Horse Stallions managing partner. “Really, even before (Book ‘em) Danno had his huge summer, people were getting really excited. I think we lost the earning title by $17,000 against Central Banker, and he had all New York runners, and we had none, and then Danno had a great year. We bred 192 mares this year.”
Bucchero, a son of Kantharos, who was trained by Tim Glyshaw, has made a seamless transition from having stood in Florida to his new environs in Schuylerville, N.Y.
“We were very well-received in Florida early, it’s as if he’s having a second coming out party. The people of New York have seen him,” said Malter. “He has that uncanny ability to make horses that try. It’s what owners’ want. It’s what trainers want. It’s what racing needs.”
Iron Horse Stallions foundation sire, Bucchero, won 11 times, including seven stakes’ races, scoring consecutive victories at ages five and six in the Woodford Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select (Gr. 2) at Keeneland in 2017 and 2018.
“We’re getting to the end of his first 5-year-old crop. We have horses that are heading into their 6-year-old year,” said Malter. “We have a horse named Beauty of the Sea. She looks like she’ll have a great 6-year-old year going forward. We gave her a little time off, and seeing horses like this running this late into her career, it’s what racing needs. It’s totally crazy to think that he (Bucchero) won a graded stakes in October of his 6-year-old year, would produce runners that run late in their career.”
