OBS Day 1 wrap: Pricey progeny of Pleasantly Perfect, plus the results for the dozen and a half I pegged

Day 1 of the OBS April 2-year-old in training sale is in the books, with an increase in median price, a decline in gross revenue and average price, and a Pleasantly Perfect colt leading the way, bought for a pretty penny at $260,000.

Buyers of the chestnut colt who thus far tops the sale were Alex and JoAnn Lieblong. The colt, Hip 132 in the catalog, breezed a quarter-mile in 20 4/5. He is out of the Deputy Minister mare Minister Thatcher and a full brother to modest 3-year-old winner of 2009 Minister Perfect ($9,578 earned per the catalog). He has a half-brother by Dixie Union, named Sanlorenzo, who has won at ages 4 and 5 for $17,208.

Parish Farms as agent consigned the colt, a Kentucky-bred by Diamond A Racing Corp. The colt was a $23,000 yearling purchase at Keeneland's September sale, consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency and bought by G. Parrish Farm.

Monday's session covered Hip Nos. 1-306 of the 1,221 juveniles initially accepted to the sale. By my count, 42 of the horses in Day 1's catalog were withdrawn from the sale. Of those offered, 196 were sold for a buy-back rate of 25.8 percent, up slightly from 24.4 percent in 2009. The sales grossed $4,579,100 for an average of $23,363 -- down 15.6 percent in gross revenue and 10.5 percent in average price -- but the median price rose a healthy 16.1 percent over 2009, to $18,000.

The auction runs through Thursday at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company.

Now for the sales results of the 18 colts and fillies I selected from the Day 1 book:

Hip 32: Dark bay or brown filly by Ford Every Stream-Learn to Hope, by Moment of Hope. This one by an unproven sire, with a page largely devoid of black type (just a very high percentage of runners) was reported upon entering the ring as having a "proximal P1 chip of the left front fetlock." And she still sold for more than 50 percent above the sales average. The 21-flat quarter and LA-bred status probably made her case. But at the price paid for her, I'd have probably let her go. ... $37,000 to Peter Miller.

Hip 52: Dark bay or brown filly by Kafwain-Lil's Gate, by Gate Dancer. Filly breezed 10.3, which is average, but has two stakes winning half-siblings. Second dam a G3 winner. Same price was paid for this one as for Hip 32 and there's a lot more success on this page than on the other's. ... $37,000 to K.R.A. (KOID).

Hip 89: Gray or roan filly by Two Punch-Magic Belle, by Gold Case. Co-fastest of the under-tack show at a swift 9 4/5 for an eighth-mile. Not a lot of stakes horses on the page, but her dam earned $132K and this filly as a seemingly precocious and speedy sort has a good chance to earn back her purchase price -- and then some -- among NY-breds this year and next. ... $70,000 to Cathal Lynch, agent for Inverso.

Hip 97: Rockin Heat, dark bay or brown colt by Rock Hard Ten-Makin Heat, by Makin. I thought this one might sell for even more than he did; six figures wouldn't have surprised me at all. By a very good racehorse who had a pretty decent freshman year at stud in 2009 and out of a stakes winning dam. ... $85,000 to Bear Stables.

Hip 113: Dr. Drewman, bay colt by Drewman-Medieval Fantasy, by Medieval Man. I figured this one would be cheap despite a decent 22-flat quarter and being half to seven winners and full brother to an eighth. He sold for less than the sale's first-day average, but maybe a few dollars more than I expected. ... $18,000 to S.R.O.A. (KOID).

Hip 136: Be That It May, bay filly by Proud Accolade-Miss Angel T., by Talc. A fast 10-flat breeze, a stakes-winning dam, and 9-for-14 winning siblings including G2 winner PROFIT OPTION should have drawn more attention to this filly. ... $18,000 Not Sold.

Hip 139: Wrapped in Gold, dark bay or brown filly by Touch Gold-Miss Ginalie, by Skip Away. Average in her breeze at 22.1 for the quarter, but by a reasonably good sire and out of a seven-race winner who in turn is out of a stakes-placed dam and half to a stakes-placer and to a stakes producer. New York-bred status should help her earn her keep. What a deal. ... $10,000 to Bud & Majel Ison.

Hip 169: Little Man M, dark bay or brown colt by Golden Missile-Ms. Copelan, by Copelan. Stakes-winning full brother GARIBALDI, a stakes-placed dam, two stakes-producing half-sisters and a lot of 2-year-old winners in the family, and still he barely brought the sales average price. ... $25,000 to Bill Blevins.

Hip 218: Chestnut colt by Closing Argument-Oh Nyet, by Time for a Change. A speedy breeze of 20.4 over a quarter and 100 percent winners with one stakes-placer from his dam's seven foals convinced me to give this one a chance despite a relatively unproven sophomore sire. Some of these prices are making me wish I'd gone to Ocala with (someone else's) checkbook. ... $25,000 to Dejai Ramnarayan.

Hip 224: Chestnut filly by Officer-Ontheqt, by Mazel Trick. The other girl who was co-fastest through the eighth-mile in the first session, with a 9.4 breeze. Solid, albeit not stellar, sire. Stakes-winning dam, stakes-placed half-sister and a stakes-placed second dam, all at Woodbine, where this filly can go back to race in restricted company as an Ontario-bred. Hence the price, which I believe is fair for all concerned. ... $80,000 to Robert Harvey.

Hip 228: Chestnut filly by Mizzen Mast-Ore Money, by Not For Love. Filly's dam is half-sister to SMOKE GLACKEN (champion sprinter), SMOKEY GLACKEN (five graded wins), CAPOTE'S CROWN (G3-placed) and to the dams of CROWN OF THORNS (G2, 2nd Breeders' Cup Sprint-G1, etc.) and ROUSE THE CAT (G2-placed). Flashed her own speed with a 21-flat quarter. Filly is half to four multiple-winners (albeit no blacktype). Potential case of theft. ... $30,000 to The Big Stable Inc.

Hip 232: Off to Granny's, chestnut filly by Forest Camp-Our Lady's Wish, by Secret Claim. Half to nine winners who've earned around $1 million, five of them stakes-placed. Female family of two-time Canadian champ VICTORIAN PRINCE and Canadian Horse of the Year and champion juvenile L'ALEZANE. But, only breezed 11.2 for an eighth, which is slow. Still, with maiden special weight purses of $68,400 at Woodbine and even $12,500 maiden-claimers running for a share of more than $20K per race, she can earn back her purchase price in a few starts without even winning. Unless Woodbine is paying in Monopoly money instead of Canadian dollars. . ... $6,700 to Starship Stables.

Hip 233: Dark bay or brown filly by Forest Camp-Our Patty, by Personal Flag. This daughter of Forest Camp, unlike the Hip before her, was quick through an eighth at 10-flat. Half to a French-raced turf stakes winner, and her dam won five times for $150K and has produced 100 percent winners from four foals of racing age. Still didn't make the sale average, rather, sold for exactly the median price. .... $18,000 to S.R.O.A. (KOID).

Hip 237: Gray or roan colt by El Prado-Oxford Scholar, by Seeking the Gold. Dam was a Belmont Park stakes winner and a full sister to G2 winner SEEKING REGINA. Colt is already half to stakes winners SMOKIN FOREST (NTR at Santa Anita) and SCHOLASTIC GIANT, and G3-placer Turnbolt. Second dam an Aqueduct stakes winner. Late sire was one of the very best. Breeze was a perfectly sound 10.2. How did he sell so cheap? ... $26,000 to James DiVito.

Hip 255: Dark bay or brown colt by Montbrook-Pearly White, by Holy Bull. Good sire of 2-year-olds and a multiple-stakes-placed dam who earned $177K. Second dam won 14 races, was G2-placed and earned $263K. Breezed a fleet 21.2 for the quarter. Liked this one a lot, but shocked the last one didn't sell for a price more like this one, who was bought by the same folks who now own the sales-topper. ... $70,000 to Alex & JoAnn Lieblong.

Hip 268: Gray or roan filly by Gone West-Platinum Ballet, by Skip Away. Historically good sire, and the first foal out of a stakes-winning dam who was twice G3-placed. "Only" breezed 10.3; ahhh, who cares? Buyers, apparently, who didn't bid enough to get this one. ... $48,000 Not Sold.

Hip 277: Bay colt by Trippi-Potluck Dinner, by Pentelicus. Don't usually go for unraced or poorly raced dams, but this one overcame her one-start record to produce six to race, four winners, two stakes horses and three that have earned $167K or more. Pretty good blacktype family and a fair breeze of 21.3 for a quarter by this Florida-bred. ... $40,000 to Bruce Brown.

Hip 282: Chestnut colt by Yes It's True-Presumed Innocent, by Shuailaan. A really fast 33.3 for three-quarters, one of very few to breeze that distance, should have attracted attention. So should a sire who gets about 50 percent 2-year-old starters and 20 percent of all foals as 2-year-old winners. Then you see the dam is a seven-race stakes winner of $315K with a pair of winners from two foals of racing age, one of them non-blacktype stakes-placed. For this sale, it's a good price. I actually would have expected a bit more. ... $50,000 to Steven Dwoskin.

So, my 18 selections included two not sold and the 16 to sell brought $618,700 in total purchase price, for an average of $38,669. Which, though considerably above the average and more than double the median for the first sales session, frankly is still a very reasonable price for a 2-year-old racehorse, considering all that goes into breeding, foaling, raising, breaking and training a colt or filly up to this point.

Tomorrow's sale activity covers Hips 307-612. The sale begins at 10:30 a.m. and can be viewed live at OBSSales.com.