Dickman Looks to Build Legacy

Vern Dickman, a relative newcomer to the sport of Thoroughbred racing, made a big splash at auction last year when he and longtime pinhooker John Brocklebank teamed up to purchase a daughter of Curlin for $975,000 during the third book of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Immediately after signing the ticket, Dickman declared his intention to re-offer the filly as a juvenile and the youngster duly reappears as part of a seven-horse consignment from Brocklebank, as agent for Dickman's Legacy Ranch, in next week's Fasig-Tipton Florida 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale at Gulfstream Park.

Dickman, 72, traces his love of horses back to his childhood growing up on a ranch in Cedar City, Utah. After founding several companies, including Spring Communications, he was able to retire and pursue his passion.

“I retired at 30 to become a cowboy,” Dickman said. “I found out I wasn't a good cowboy,” he chuckled. “I was an urban cowboy, but I always liked horses.”

A meeting with veteran horseman and fellow Utah resident Brocklebank led Dickman to the Thoroughbred auction scene.

“We both live in Salt Lake City and a friend of mine told me that Vern was in the horse business, so we just started visiting a little bit,” Brocklebank recalled. “One thing led to another and we became partners in this pinhooking venture that we're doing together. He is newly into the game and it's been exciting because he's been able to raise the level of the stock we'll be able to offer.”

After a small initial draft of juveniles a year ago, Dickman was ready for a bigger investment in yearlings in 2015.

“Last year, I told John that I wanted to partner up with him and we'd go look for the best horses we could find,” Dickman explained. “That started it. We have put together, I think, a great package of horses for our first go-around.”

Dickman and Brocklebank selected a group of 42 yearlings last fall. According to Brocklebank, his criteria was simple.

“Anything that walks by that looks like it would be a nice athlete, so it's nothing really particular,” Brocklebank said when asked what he looked for in pinhooking prospects.

He added, “I've been fortunate in the past that I've been able to buy inexpensive horses and it's worked out for me. But with Vern now, with our partnership, we get to have a little more license plate to them. I really want to sell a really good product and he's allowed that to happen.”

The Curlin filly, who sells at next Wednesday's Fasig-Tipton sale as hip 153, was definitely the headline-grabber of the yearling package. The chestnut is out of stakes winner Epitome of a Lady (Poteen) and hails from the family of Grade I winner Hot Dixie Chick.

“I wasn't planning on going that high, but we were kind of pushed that high,” Dickman recalled. “I bought her for two reasons, the main reason is that we thought she was a great horse. Everything seemed perfect on her. And the second reason, I felt like it would get us notoriety, let's say. So people would know that we're in the business and that Dickman's Legacy Ranch and John Brocklebank are going to bring them some great horses through pinhooking. There are a lot of pinhookers out there, but not many of them buy at the higher end, mainly because they probably don't have the means to do it. We feel that there is a spot for the higher end to be pinhooking. So this year will be the test. That's where we want to be.”

Brocklebank said the filly has so far lived up to the hype.

“I didn't expect to pay that, but when we saw her a day or two before, every time she took a step, she was just so attractive. I think everybody in the world fell in love with her. She was easy, to me. She is outstanding and, come the [breeze show on the] 29th, I think she'll show her ability. She's been an absolute professional.”

Dickman and Brocklebank are also high on a son of freshman sire Union Rags, who will be offered at Fasig-Tipton as hip 135. The bay colt, out of But for Money (Not for Love), is a half to multiple graded stakes placed Eskenformoney (Eskendereya). The youngster was purchased privately after RNA'ing for $250,000 at Keeneland September.

“The Union Rags is a big colt–he's a beast,” Brocklebank said. “He is an easy horse. If you see him, you're automatically like, 'Wow.' When he walks in the room, you're going to take notice. And that's how he is. When we hauled them all that way [from Kentucky to Utah]–I actually hauled them myself just because I was so worried about the Curlin and I just kind of wanted to do it myself–and they were all a bit tired. But when he got off the van, it was almost like he was saying, 'Ok. Here I am world, take a look.' He has a different constitution than most horses–I think he's a pretty cool horse.”

The Legacy Ranch offerings also includes hip 53, a son of City Zip out of My Rachel (Horse Chestnut {SAf}). The half-brother to multiple stakes placed Rachel's Ready (More Than Ready) and Firehouse Red (Arch), was a $165,000 Keeneland September purchase. “He's an awful nice horse, too,” Brocklebank commented.

Also on offer is hip 90, a daughter of Congrats out of Storm City Blues (Carson City). “She's special,” Brocklebank said of the dark bay filly, who sold for $95,000 at Keeneland September.

Brocklebank will be offering his first Fasig-Tipton Florida consignment since 2000, when he sold subsequent stakes-placed Bring the Heat (In Excess {Ire}) for $300,000.

“The weather was a little bit strange for us to get used to at first,” Brocklebank said of the infamous Florida climate. “They say it changes every 10 minutes and I believe it. But the horses have settled in really well. And everyone is training really well.”

For his part, Dickman is trying to stay focused on re-selling for the moment.

“We are mainly for pinhooking,” Dickman said of his Legacy Ranch. “We do do some racing, but that's the hard part. Because we've got some horses here that I'm saying to myself I ought to keep and race because they look like they are Derby horses. So I am having to go back and forth and say, 'No, you're a pinhooker, Vern, you're not a racer.' And that's a little hard for me.”

Dickman continued, “The long-range will be getting into breeding–I wouldn't mind having some mares. But the first course of business is pinhooking. It's exciting. I enjoy the challenge. And these are an exceptional bunch of horses that we'll be offering.”

The under-tack show for the Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale begins Monday at Gulfstream Park at 10 a.m. The sale will be held Wednesday in the Gulfstream paddock beginning at 4 p.m.