Coaches Corner tops Blooded Horse Summer Sale

The 68^th annual Blooded Horse Summer Sale offered 100 yearlings eligible to a variety of state harness racing programs followed by over 100 racehorses and breeding stock. Three-year-old Coaches Corner by Always A Virgin topped the sale at $65,000. His purchase comes with a colorful story.

Coaches Corner (Always A Virgin) had been on Jeff Fought and Brian Carsey’s radar for some time. The partners are always in the market for nice racehorses, and this one was dominating the Indiana Fair Stakes.  By sale time, Coaches Corner had racked up 10 wins including the Indiana State Fair Championship. Carsey planned to drive to the sale in Springfield, Ohio and buy the horse while Jeff watched the live feed from Florida. Except, in route, Carsey realized he wasn’t going to make it in time. No problem, Jeff would bid on the colt through Proxibid.   

 “Brian (with Proxibid) could see that I was online,” Fought said. “I know him because he works with Proxibid at our yearling sales. He texted me and said to call him if I had any issues. Well sure enough, after I had bid twice on Coaches Corner, Hurricane Idalia knocked out our power! I called Proxibid right away and Brian was kind enough to put the bids in for me.”

 The purchase is especially sweet for Fought since Coaches Corner’s owner and trainer Byron Hooley is a longtime family friend, and the colt’s regular driver, Derek Hooley, was his college roommate. Coaches Corner will now head to trainer Per Engblom with plans to race at Yonkers.

 Burke Racing Stable consigned the sale runner-up Serious Dragon (Fear The Dragon), who was purchased by Anthony MacDonald for $40,000. The handsome 4-year-old has nine wins and earnings of $82,175 this year joins TheStable.com. Passionate Promise, a 3-year-old maiden trotter with six second place finishes at the Ohio fairs, was purchased by Bill Rhoades of PA for $26,500. The daughter of Creatine was a late supplemental entry by Rosy Weaver, who was coming to shop for yearlings.

 Weaver ended up buying the sale-topping yearling Silverton, by first-crop sire Marseille for $34,000.

 “I came to buy this horse,” Weaver said. “He is so professional; I wasn’t leaving the sale without him!”

 The strikingly handsome half-brother to world-champion Barn Girl (1:52.3h, $860,478) was consigned by Mahlon A. Miller.

 Also of note was Royaltimestwo (What The Hill) out of world-champion Like Old Times (1:53h, $480,720). The second foal of the mare was consigned by Marvin Raber Farm and purchased by Jeff Berger of FL for $26,000. Spring Haven Farm consigned the classy Bettor’s Delight colt Hit The Road. He was purchased by Frank Chick of DE for $21,000.

 Another heartwarming story unfolded as Peter Barbato of NJ signed the ticket for the lovely trotting broodmares C And Ts Credit (Credit Winner) with a Six Pack foal on her side and Cindy Michelle (by E L Titan) for $35,000 and $30,000, respectively. Consigned by Spring Haven Farm, agent to dissolve a partnership, an emotionally elated Barbato shared, “These mares were named after my wife. I came to the sale to get them, and I wasn’t leaving without them.” 

 The next Blooded Horse Sale is Wednesday, November 15 at the Champions Center in Springfield, OH. This well-attended sale will open with Black Type yearlings followed by racehorses and breeding stock. Entries should be made online at bloodedhorse.com.

by Dot Morgan, for the Blooded Horse Sale