Sagamore’s Jocelyn Brooks Named Director of Sales at Airdrie

Jocelyn Brooks, the former Chief of Staff for Sagamore Racing, will become the new Director of Sales for Brereton C. Jones's Airdrie Stud, the Midway, Kentucky nursery announced Friday morning. She will fill the role formerly held by Cormac Breathnach, who was recently named Keeneland's Director of Sales. The farm said that in her new role, Jocelyn will work directly with Airdrie's breeders and clients in helping with all aspects of their mating plans as well as being a leading presence for the Brereton C. Jones consignments at the major Thoroughbred auctions.

Brooks spent the last six years at Kevin Plank's Sagamore in Glyndon, Maryland. The historic farm was formerly owned by Alfred G. Vanderbilt, Jr. Brooks's responsibilities at Sagamore included racing administration, breeding and sales analysis, horse roster management, hospitality, social media and community engagement. Brooks is deeply interested in Thoroughbred aftercare and created Sagamore Farm's Next Move program, which retrains retired Sagamore Racing horses for second careers such as dressage, hunters/jumpers, eventing and therapy work. She is also a supporter of the Retired Racehorse Project and The Real Rider Cup and serves on the Board of Directors for the Maryland Horse Foundation. In her free time, Jocelyn enjoys riding her Sagamore retiree, Perpetual Optimism.

“We are unbelievably fortunate to be able to welcome Jocelyn to our Airdrie team,” said Airdrie's Bret Jones. “She is exactly the type of person everyone wants to be around: smart, funny and unendingly positive. Just as importantly, she is as passionate about our industry as anyone I've met and is exceedingly knowledgeable. She will not only give great counsel to our breeders and clients, but she will genuinely care about the success of their programs. This is a home run hire for Airdrie Stud and all those with whom we do business.”

“Jocelyn represents a new generation of female leaders in the Thoroughbred horse racing industry and Sagamore Racing was the beneficiary of Jocelyn's extraordinary leadership,” said Kevin Plank. “In addition to her excellence in horsemanship, she reimagined the Sagamore experience for all whom visited our very special farm. We wish Jocelyn the very best and will always consider Jocelyn to be part of our Sagamore family.”

Said Brooks, “I am thrilled for the opportunity to join the team at iconic Airdrie Stud, a place with such rich history, great people and an outstanding reputation. I can't wait to get started and look so forward to meeting our breeders, clients and, of course, our incredible horses.”

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Airdrie Stud Names Jocelyn Brooks Director of Sales

Brereton C. Jones's Airdrie Stud has announced that Jocelyn Brooks will become the new director of sales for the Midway, Ky., nursery.

She will fill the role formerly held by Cormac Breathnach, who was recently named Keeneland's director of sales. In her new role, Jocelyn will work directly with Airdrie's breeders and clients in helping with all aspects of their mating plans as well as being a leading presence for the Brereton C. Jones consignments at the major Thoroughbred auctions.

Jocelyn has spent the last six years as chief of staff for Sagamore Racing based at Sagamore Farm, in Glyndon, Md. Sagamore Farm is owned by Kevin Plank, the founder, chairman and brand chief of Under Armour. The historic farm was formerly owned by Alfred G. Vanderbilt, Jr.

Jocelyn's responsibilities at Sagamore included racing administration, breeding and sales analysis, horse roster management, hospitality, social media and community engagement. Jocelyn is passionate about Thoroughbred aftercare and created Sagamore Farm's Next Move program, which retrains retired Sagamore Racing horses for second careers such as dressage, hunters/jumpers, eventing and therapy work. She is also a proud supporter of the Retired Racehorse Project and The Real Rider Cup and serves on the Board of Directors for the Maryland Horse Foundation. In her free time, Jocelyn enjoys riding her Sagamore retiree, Perpetual Optimism.

“We are unbelievably fortunate to be able to welcome Jocelyn to our Airdrie team,” said Airdrie's Bret Jones.  “She is exactly the type of person everyone wants to be around: Smart, funny and unendingly positive. Just as importantly, she is as passionate about our industry as anyone I've met and is exceedingly knowledgeable. She will not only give great counsel to our breeders and clients, but she will genuinely care about the success of their programs. This is a home run hire for Airdrie Stud and all those with whom we do business.”

“Jocelyn represents a new generation of female leaders in the Thoroughbred horse racing industry and Sagamore Racing was the beneficiary of Jocelyn's extraordinary leadership,” said Kevin Plank. “In addition to her excellence in horsemanship, she reimagined the Sagamore experience for all whom visited our very special farm.  We wish Jocelyn the very best and will always consider Jocelyn to be part of our Sagamore family.”

“I am thrilled for the opportunity to join the team at iconic Airdrie Stud, a place with such rich history, great people and an outstanding reputation,” Brooks said. “I can't wait to get started and look so forward to meeting our breeders, clients and, of course, our incredible horses.”

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Collected’s First Crop Reflecting His Pedigree’s Sire Power

Carrie Brogden wasn't planning on purchasing many pinhook prospects for Machmer Hall at last year's Keeneland November Sale. She was busy inspecting the stock on her clients' shopping lists, plus her farm already had a plethora of weanlings back home that would need to be prepped come summertime.

But on the fourth day of the sale, a colt entered the ring that she couldn't pass up. The February-foaled weanling came from the James B. Keogh consignment and was a son of first-crop weanling sire Collected (City Zip-Helena Bay (GB), by Johannesburg). The youngster was out of the winning Arch mare Androeah, a full sister to GISW Archarcharch.

“I just fell in love with this guy,” Brogden said. “We bought him off David Anderson, who is well known for raising top horses. He was a big, strong, strapping, uncomplicated type with lots of bone and was correct.”

Brogden purchased the colt for $65,000 and is now preparing the chestnut for his return to the sales ring at the Fasig-Tipton July Sale, where he will sell as Hip 340.

Machmer Hall will be represented by a second Collected yearling at the same auction. Hip 279, a homebred for the farm, is the first foal out of Shawklit Cake (Majesticperfection).

“We've had really good luck with this whole female family,” Brogden explained. “It's a big, raw, lengthy family so I was thinking that if City Zip were still alive, he would be the perfect type of stallion to breed to this mare.”

Brogden turned to City Zip's Grade I-winning son Collected and is now pleased with the resulting filly.

“We're shareholders in Collected and have been big fans of the stallion and of Marette Farrell, who purchased him as a 2-year-old. I feel like we got what we were looking for [in the yearling] with the size and stretch from the female family but with a big hip. There are a lot of qualities of City Zip that I see in her, which I love.”

Machmer Hall has been a strong supporter of Collected since he joined Airdrie Stud in 2019. Based on the progeny Brogden has seen in Collected's first two crops, she has noticed a strong resemblance to the late perennial leading sire City Zip.

“I did think he was going to throw back to City Zip, so I'm very pleased with what we've seen,” she noted. “I love the fact that they're colored like City Zip. I love to see, like with Into Mischief, when they stamp them in their colors. With these guys, the City Zip shines through and I think Collected might be able to walk in his sire's footsteps based on what I'm seeing. They're athletic and uncomplicated with great minds and they're easy keepers. They're what you'd like to see as they're progressing towards the racetrack.”

Airdrie Stud's Bret Jones agreed that Collected's first few crops seem to reflect the best in both the young stallion and his sire.

Collected bests champion Arrogate in the 2017 GI Pacific Classic S. | Horsephotos

“These foals are very much in Collected's image,” Jones said. “They've got that City Zip kind of look, but with a little more leg, a little more size, and I'd have to say they're a little more correct.”

While Collected's progeny have been likened to their grandsire, Jones said that the stallion himself has often been compared to the internationally influential sire Blushing Groom, a prominent member of Collected's female family.

“Collected's pedigree is fabulous and so many people who have come out to see him have said that he really is the spitting image of Blushing Groom,” he said. “The similarities are striking. You think of what an important stallion Blushing Groom has been and this horse has the same beautiful look with that medium size that fits the different kinds of mares that come his way. He's that wonderfully good-balanced type with the big walk that everybody loves. He really moves like an athlete ”

Bred by Runnymede Farm and Peter J. Callahan, the son of the winning Johannesburg mare Helena Bay (GB) was a $170,000 OBS March purchase by Marette Farrell for Speedway Stables in 2015.

While Airdrie had their eye on Collected ever since he was a promising debut-winning juvenile, it wasn't easy for them to get him to their stud barn.

“Collected is very special to us because it really was a long process to bring him here to Airdrie,” Jones explained. “He had shown a lot of talent as a 2-year-old and was really coming into his own as a 3-year-old. That's when we first reached out to Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner at Speedway, who along the way have become very good friends.”

At three, Collected took the GIII Sham S. and GIII Lexington S., winning three of his five starts that year.

At four, he blossomed. After easy wins in the Santana Mile S. and GII Californian S., he made headlines with a 14-length blowout victory in the GIII Precisionist S. followed by his signature win in the 2017 GI Pacific Classic S. over champions Arrogate and Accelerate. He ran second in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic after dueling eventual Horse of the Year Gun Runner and then retired the following year with earnings of nearly $3 million.

“He was absolutely one of the best horses in training that 4-year-old year when he won the Pacific Classic and was second in the Breeders' Cup Classic,” Jones said. “Thankfully at the end of the day, we were given the opportunity to stand the horse and it's been everything we could have asked for.”

One of the commitments Airdrie made when taking Collected on, according to Jones, was to support the young stallion with the best their farm had to offer.

Machmer Hall's Collected colt out of Androeah sells as Hip 340 at the Fasig-Tipton July Sale.

“That meant breeding our Kentucky Oaks winner [Believe You Can (Proud Citizen)] as well as multiple Grade I producers. It meant never slowing down on the support that we would give him. In his third year, we've bred another 20 mares to him and we'll do the same thing next year. We really believe in the horse and so we want to give him that opportunity.”

Jones said that Collected has received strong support from off the farm as well. He bred 156 mares in his first year at stud and an additional 155 last year.

“We've been unbelievably lucky with Collected. He has been very well received really from the start. He was booked full each of his first two years and we've got a wonderful syndicate behind the horse that made sure he has gotten not only the quantity, but the quality of mares. In his first year, the Comparable Index was a 2.25, which is the highest than I can ever remember us having for a first-year stallion and much higher than what the stud fee would generally reflect.”

Collected's fee has held steady at $17,500 in his first three years and Jones said that the stallion will end up seeing over 100 mares in his third book as well.

“Because of this horse's popularity and because of the syndicate behind him, he's really been able to get that support. There will be no small crops. No one has backed down. David Anderson is breeding 12 mares to the horse and Fred Hertrich III is breeding six. The Brogdens are great partners and Speedway Stable is sending some of their top fillies from off the track, so there's no shortage of support and it's really going to be up to him.”

At last year's weanling sales, Collected's first crop averaged $52,454 with 11 of 28 sold. His top lot, a filly out of the Giant's Causeway mare Mamasez, brought $135,000 at Keeneland November.

At the upcoming Fasig-Tipton July Sale on July 13, Collected will be represented by 13 yearlings with notable pedigrees including Hip 19, a filly out a Bernardini half-sister to GISW and two-time GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf runner-up Film Maker (Dynaformer), as well as Hip 78, a filly out of a daughter of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner and Eclipse Champion She Be Wild (Offlee Wild). View Collected's full Fasig-Tipton roster here.

“When you first get the stallion, you're excited about their chances,” Jones explained. “Then the next thing is what sort of individuals are they getting. I couldn't be more excited to show off exactly what kind of foals this horse is getting in the July Sale and the fall sales as well.”

From there, Jones said he believes Collected's progeny will excel on all aspects once they hit the track.

“Collected, like City Zip, has the chance to throw a lot of different types. City Zip could certainly get your early horses and your sprinters, but he could also get you a horse like Collected or Improbable that can stretch out and win a Grade I at a mile and a quarter. There's no reason why Collected can't have a similar type of success. I think they'll be diverse on the track and that he's got an opportunity to have a lot of success with a lot of different types.”

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Keeneland Names Cormac Breathnach As Director Of Sales Operations

Keeneland today named prominent bloodstock consultant Cormac Breathnach, Ph.D., as its new Director of Sales Operations.

Breathnach brings a distinctive set of skills and more than 20 years of horse industry experience to Keeneland, combining bloodstock and pedigree knowledge, practical sales expertise and a doctorate in veterinary science from the Gluck Equine Research Center at the University of Kentucky.

“We are excited to have Cormac join the Keeneland sales team as the Director of Sales Operations,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “I have long admired his professionalism, knowledge and integrity, which is second to none, and have had the pleasure of watching him develop in the industry and gain the respect of a broad range of professionals. His skill set, personality and strong work ethic will help evolve Keeneland sales for the future. In addition, his background in research and animal welfare is a valuable asset as we continue to strive to set higher standards for the industry.”

Breathnach succeeds Geoffrey Russell, who announced his retirement in April following 25 years with Keeneland. Russell will remain in a consulting role with Keeneland through 2021.

“Geoffrey very generously has been helping us through the transition process to make it as seamless as possible,” Lacy said. “I can never thank him enough for his commitment to Keeneland even in his first stages of retirement. I know Cormac will integrate into this role smoothly with Geoffrey's guidance.”

Since 2017, Breathnach has served as Director of Stallion Nominations at Airdrie Stud, which stands such exciting young stallions as Cairo Prince, Collected and Complexity. For nearly eight years prior to his position at Airdrie, he was Stallion Seasons and Matings Consultant at Adena Springs, where he represented Breeders' Cup Classic winners and leading sires Ghostzapper and Awesome Again. Breathnach also founded Galway Bloodstock, a consultancy that has provided a range of services including auction representation, racehorse management and matings analysis.

A native of Galway, Ireland, Breathnach studied biotechnology at National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). Following a summer research internship at Alltech in Lexington, he returned to Central Kentucky to earn a Ph.D. in Veterinary Science from the Gluck Equine Research Center in 2001. He completed two post-doctoral studies, first at the veterinary school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 2001-2003 before returning to the Gluck Center from 2004-2007. There he was the inaugural recipient of the Paul Mellon Postdoctoral Scholarship.

“It is a great honor to be named Director of Sales Operations at Keeneland,” Breathnach said. “Keeneland is a world-renowned cornerstone of the Thoroughbred industry, and to participate in its progressive mission under (Keeneland President and CEO) Shannon Arvin, Tony Lacy and the talented team already in place is a privilege.

“I have spent the last 12 years working with breeders, consignors and buyers on behalf of two of the preeminent stud farms in the Bluegrass, and I am excited to carry those relationships through to this new role with Keeneland,” Breathnach said. “I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given along the way, particularly to Bret Jones and his family for four successful years at Airdrie Stud.”

“Cormac has been such a tremendous contributor to Airdrie Stud, and I know I speak for our entire team when I say how much we will miss him,” Airdrie Stud Vice President Bret Jones said. “Keeneland and our breeding and racing community at large are gaining an advocate of the absolute highest ability and character. He is one of the truly wonderful people in our industry. I am very happy for Cormac to ascend to this important position and will always be grateful for the great friendship we've developed these last four years.”

Breathnach is on the board of both the Gluck Foundation, where he is the first graduate of the Gluck Equine Research Center to serve in that capacity, and the Secretariat Center. He is a past board member of the Iroquois Hunt Club.

Breathnach and his wife, Catherine, along with their daughter, Anna (9), reside in Lexington.

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