Page 106 - Speedhorse June 2019

Another notable mare that came from Sarah-Toga Farm was Etta Leo, dam of Goetta & Ettabo
1964 World Champion Goetta.
She received $125,000 for Diamond Chicklet’s yearling filly in 1981. Over the years, Sarah has owned or co-owned such grand dams as Etta Leo, dam of Champions Ettabo and Goetta; Goetta herself; Real Dish TB, dam of Real Easy Jet and Real Ease; and others.
Sarah is one of those rare people within
the industry who makes her entire livelihood from horses. There are no outside ventures. She doesn’t own large corporations and she doesn’t sit on the Board of Directors of mammoth conglomerates. She enjoys what she’s doing and at least part of her success can be attributed to the fact that she doesn’t allow herself to stagnate. She not only faces, but actively seeks out new challenges within the industry.
“A challenge is what I love the most,” she laughs. “I enjoy putting things together and watching them work. I love the racing end of the industry, but, until this year, I haven’t actively raced a horse since 1975. I usually have around eight mares to breed each year and, from that standpoint, I view myself as a market breeder. As far as I’m concerned, it’s darned difficult to be a successful market breeder without selling your entire colt crop each year. The horse industry
is an amazingly small world with tradition and sameness playing a major role. It’s an unavoidable fact that people will attend a sale and believe that some major breeders save their best horses back. This is the reason many prominent breeders have such a difficult time getting top dollars for their horses. I’m not saying this is always the case, but I am saying this is the belief most people abide by. It’s a funny thing, but most breeders in the Thoroughbred industry can keep some yearlings and sell others and still not be affected by the theory that they ‘know something they’re not telling.’ The truth of the matter is, most breeders don’t know any more than the astute buyer. They may simply have a favorite or they may want to keep a filly or two for future broodmares.
“I knew from the beginning that I couldn’t play all aspects of the industry. I’ve enjoyed being a market breeder. Selling a horse, to me, is a sure thing while the track is exciting, but financially ‘iffy.’ And the marketplace? Well, my attitude is if I take a horse to the market and bring home what the market will bear in terms of dollars . . . I’m playing the game okay. Hopefully, someday the market will bear a sale topper!” Sarah must be “playing the game okay.” In 1978 and 1979
1969 Champion Aged Stallion Ettabo with Spencer Childers.
Sarah-Toga was the leading consignor in the Buena Suerte Ranch Summer Sale, taking home more real dollars than any other seller. In both the 1980 and 1981 All American, she sold a filly for over $100,000. This year, she’s taking a filly by the name of A Case of Class by Easy Jet out of Takeme Freely, and she’s hoping to walk away with the same type of figures.
In 1980, Sarah-Toga reached a crossroads. She began extending herself into another facet of the business, assuming more and more actively the role of agent; buying and selling for other people. She’s now bringing down the hammer with honest sales. She enjoys working with people. She’s been functioning as an agent on a private basis for the last two years, and she fully intends to become more heavily involved until that is the major thrust of Sarah Henderson and Sarah-Toga Farm.
Sarah admits that agents seem to be springing up in the Quarter Horse industry with the
same proliferation as an out-of-control crop
of mushrooms! And, as happens in every set
of circumstances in every industry, this agent phenomenon is comprised of the good and the bad. “There are many, many gray areas in the world of agents,” she muses. “They can be
104 SPEEDHORSE, June 2019
LOOKING BACK - AN EXCERPT FROM JULY 1982 ISSUE
Etta Leo