Texas Thoroughbred Association confirms all yearlings safe after suspected kill pen buyer incident at annual sale
All 11 Thoroughbred yearlings purchased by a suspected kill pen buyer at this week’s Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) annual sale are now safe and in responsible hands, according to officials.
Highlander Training Center in Sulphur Springs, Texas, confirmed Thursday via social media that the horses had been secured by legitimate owners who will provide appropriate care for the animals.
“All 11 yearlings purchased by a Bowie Livestock Sale Barn representative at the TTA Yearling Sale have been purchased now by responsible horse owners who will provide good homes for the horses,” Highlander Training Center stated on X.
The situation developed after TTA Executive Director Tracy Sheffield revealed late Wednesday that a buyer named David O’Dwyer — later identified as a suspected kill pen purchaser — had acquired 11 yearlings at the Lone Star Park auction.
Sheffield expressed the organization’s dismay in a detailed statement.
“We are infuriated and saddened to see this,” Sheffield wrote. “For reference, we have taken steps to rule off suspected kill pen buyers from our sales grounds in recent years. At this year’s sale, this buyer who signed the tickets as ‘David O’Dwyer’ was not a suspected kill pen buyer to us, but as soon as we got wind of what may have been going on, we ejected him from the sale.”
The TTA immediately banned O’Dwyer from making future purchases with the organization. However, by the time officials suspected improper activity, O’Dwyer had already legally purchased the yearlings under the sale’s terms and conditions.
Colin Brennan of Brennan Bloodstock, who consigned four of the yearlings through Highlander Training Center, took swift action when learning of the situation.
“We took immediate action to reach out to Mr. O’Dwyer and secure the four client-owned yearlings from the Highlander consignment that he purchased,” Brennan stated Thursday morning on Facebook. “Those yearlings have been relocated and are safe, healthy and in great hands.”
The four yearlings consigned by Brennan were Hip 10 (filly by Idol), Hip 21 (colt by Competitive Edge), Hip 28 (filly by Early Voting), and Hip 98 (colt by Basin).
The remaining yearlings included: Hip 17 (filly by Vino Rosso), Hip 26 (gelding by Shoplifted), Hip 36 (gelding by Mo Tom), Hip 56 (colt by Flat Out), Hip 66 (gelding by Competitive Edge), Hip 114 (colt by Mark Valeski), and Hip 122 (filly by The Big Beast).
Highlander Training Center expressed gratitude to those who offered assistance during the concerning situation.
“All of us at Highlander Training Center want to thank all of the people throughout the country who have stepped forward to offer to help in this situation,” the center’s statement concluded.
The story was first reported by The Paulick Report.
From communication we have had this morning with both the Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) and the Bowie Livestock Sale Barn (BLSB), it is our understanding that all 11 yearlings purchased by a BLSB representative at the TTA Yearling Sale have been purchased now by…
— HighlanderTrainingCenter (@HighlanderTrai3)
