After Tracy Sheffield, the executive director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association, posted on Facebook late Wednesday that a buyer at this week's annual TTA yearling sale named David O'Dwyer, who is a suspected kill pen purchaser, bought 11 horses at the Lone Star Park auction, in a Thursday message on X Highlander Training Center in Sulphur Springs, Texas reported that all of the yearlings were safe and bought by responsible parties. This story was first reported by The Paulick Report.
Highlander's post said, “From communication we have had this morning with both the Texas Thoroughbred Association and the Bowie Livestock Sale Barn, it is our understanding that all 11 yearlings purchased by a BLSB representative at the TTA Yearling Sale have been purchased now by responsible horse owners who will provide good homes for the horses. 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.”
Sheffield said on Wednesday in her post:
“We are aware of the online reports of horses from our yearling sale this week appearing in suspected kill pen advertisements on social media. We are infuriated and saddened to see this. 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 and he is banned from making any future purchases with us.
“Unfortunately, by the time we suspected the activity, he had purchased and, as a result based on the terms and conditions of our sale, legally owned the yearlings he had purchased. We spoke to the buyer at the sale and we reached him by phone today. He claims these horses are not to be killed and that owners/breeders can buy the horses back. We are working to find a solution to this situation which is absolutely unacceptable.”
The yearlings are: Hip 10: filly by Idol; Hip 17: filly by Vino Rosso; Hip 21: colt by Competitive Edge; Hip 26: gelding by Shoplifted; Hip 28: filly by Early Voting; Hip 36: gelding by Mo Tom; Hip 56: colt by Flat Out; Hip 66: gelding by Competitive Edge; Hip 98: colt by Basin; Hip 114: colt by Mark Valeski; and Hip 122: filly by The Big Beast.
In a post on his Facebook page, Colin Brennan of Brennan Bloodstock said on Thursday morning that, “When Highlander Training Center was made aware of the situation with the yearlings purchased by David O'Dwyer from the Texas Yearling Sale, 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. Those yearlings have been relocated and are safe, healthy and in great hands.”
The four yearlings that were consigned by Colin Brennan Bloodstock at Highlander Training Center were Hips 10, 21, 28 and 98.
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) August 28, 2025
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