Carrie Brogden

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale continued its frenetic pace Tuesday and figures remained ahead of record pace at the half-way point of the four-day auction. "It was a great session," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said Tuesday night. "It was record-breaking in all regards: gross, average and co-highest price ever for a colt. But more important than that was the continued level of activity. There is a great RNA rate overall with people walking in there with reserves that were getting doubled and tripled. It was an...

Fly On Angel (Palace Malice) (hip 280), winner of the Aug. 28 GIII Charles Town Oaks, topped Tuesday's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December Mixed Sale when bringing a final bid of $195,000 from Cypress Creek, LLC. The 3-year-old filly was consigned by Northview Stallion Station on behalf of Joseph Besecker, who had claimed her for $50,000 out of a winning effort at Parx Aug. 10. "I had followed this horse for a while after Clovis Crane consigned her and he had tried to get me to buy her as a baby, but...

While there were bright spots and plenty of successes, Keeneland's bellweather September Yearling Sale saw significant drop-offs in trade from last year's strong renewal as the Thoroughbred industry and world at large reel from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conducted over 12 days this year compared to 13 last term and with strict safety protocols in place, the 2020 September sale grossed $238,454,300 from 2,346 head sold. The gross 12 months ago was $359,789,700 from 2,850 sellers. This year's average dipped 19.49% from $126,242 to $101,643; the median dropped...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland September Yearling Sale opened its two-session Book 3 with a day of solid trade Friday in Lexington, with bloodstock agent Mike Ryan making the day's highest bid of $625,000 to acquire a colt by red-hot sire Into Mischief (hip 1614). In all, 200 yearlings grossed $21,803,500 during the session for an average of $109,018 and a median of $85,000. With 134 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate remained elevated at 40.12%. The auction's cumulative buy-back rate stands at 39.72%. Last year's first Book 3...

Machmer Hall Farm, the breeder of champion Tepin and Grade I-winners Gift Box, Vyjack, Money Multiplier, So Perfect, have launched a sales consignment operation to focus specifically on yearling sales in North America. Machmer Hall owners, Sandy Fubini and Craig and Carrie Brogden, along with Amy Bunt and Mullikin Thoroughbreds, are the principals of the new company, named Machmer Hall Sales. The group has enjoyed success pinhooking Mind Your Biscuits and Flat Out. Among services available, the new organization will advise on matings, sale placements and pinhooking. The operation will...

The TDN recently took a lengthy dive into the business model of the average American trainer, and asked this question: "What, if anything, can be done to make this model a healthier, more efficiently run affair?" The answers garnered revolved around two central issues. One concerned reduced race-day opportunities leading to shrinking earnings, and the possible raising of day-rates to compensate. The other concerned the possible payment of monthly invoices up-front, to save trainers the pressure of covering the daily expenses for a minimum of 40-45 days. Other topics raised...

Chris McGrath's Value Sires series in the TDN has frequently touched on the difficulty in selling nominations to stallions in their third-year at stud, as well as to solid, established stallions standing for a moderate fee. We asked stallion managers and nominations teams as well as bloodstock agents what changes could be made, if any, to help the situation. Carrie Brogden, Machmer Hall I sell a lot of seasons and I book a lot of mares. To me, and I have said it before, what has changed the support for...

Lane's End resident City of Light (Quality Road) sired his first foal, a filly, Friday at Machmer Hall in Paris, Ky. The filly is also the first foal out of unraced Redbud (Union Rags), a half-sister to graded stakes winner Wishful Tomcat (Tactical Cat) and stakes winners Uncle T Seven (Freud), Lucky Lewis (Forest Camp) and Zetterholm (Silver Train). "We are thrilled to bits over our City of Light filly!" said Machmer Hall's Carrie Brogden. "She has a beautiful feminine head and great balance and frame." City of Light will...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale concluded its five-day run in Lexington Friday with results off slightly from a record-setting 2019 renewal which was held over four days and featured the breakout $5-million sale of champion Abel Tasmen (Quality Road). "To me, if you take one horse out of 2019, 2019 and 2020 look remarkably similar," said Keeneland's vice president of racing and sales Bob Elliston. "Abel Tasman was a $5-million purchase and in excess of 10% of our total gross last year. If you...