Thoroughbreds run in Lexington native Zach Madden's blood. The manager of Buckland Sales, Madden started his consignment in partnership with Millennium Farms in 2015 and never looked back.
Growing up in the bluegrass on his grandfather's farm, Madden fell in love with horses at an early age.
"My grandfather had a small farm out Tates Creek Road. It had 40 acres, (and) at the peak they had maybe 20 horses on the farm. It was kind of a boutique operation; he bred to race, bred to sell. I remember going to foalings as a little kid, I grew up on the farm, essentially," Madden said.
"It was like a fairytale, to grow up out there. We had chickens, horses, llamas, we chased frogs, all the fun stuff."
Madden graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2009 and worked for Three Chimneys Farm throughout school. He initially considered a career as a trainer, but discovered that he enjoyed the sales aspect of the industry the most.
"I went to UK, and I hated school. It was a little bit ass-backwards … I would base my school schedule around my work schedule," Madden said. "It was really boring; I would go to bed and work, but I loved it. I loved breaking yearlings, I loved the farm aspect of it … It was tough. My first day I got bit, kicked; I sort of learned how to clean a track stall."
After staying with Three Chimneys for 10 years and eventually becoming the director of client development, Madden left to pursue the opportunity to start his own consignment with the help of the team at Millennium.
"I was the youngest person doing their own consignment," he said. "It was really intimidating, but I just put my head down. We sold some good horses at first and we're selling better ones now. Just trying to up the quality. I think our reputation is built up. We try to do things right."
Madden's very first Buckland consignment was to the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Among those sold was Chocolate Martini, a Broken Vow mare who went on to win the 2018 Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) and place in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1).
"We sold Chocolate Martini, who won the Fair Grounds Oaks and was grade 1-placed at Saratoga. When she won that, it was one of the greatest days of my life," Madden said.
Since starting his consignment, Keeneland has been a staple in Madden's business, although he also sells elsewhere. This year, he brought 15 horses for the September Sale, consigned from Book 3 through Book 5, and sold 12 for gross receipts of $705,000.
"We didn't start selling until Book 3 and it was awesome," Madden said. "I felt like it was really good trade up there. We were really busy showing those two and a half days. We sold four or five; I was excited about that.
"I feel like the market spills over each session. I have a lot of good friends and good agents that I've talked to that have filtered through the barn and said, 'Man, it's so tough to get stuff bought,' so I think that's going to spill over hopefully on into October. It's just one of those things; it's so unbelievable how relentless and resilient the whole horse business is."
Madden says he believes 2021 is a great time to sell a horse and that buyers are eager.
"I haven't been in the business 50 years or something, but I've been in it for 12, 13 years and I've never seen the scene in the back, people just hungry for horses," he said. "Bidding, 50, 60, 70K for horses they haven’t even vetted.”
For Madden, working in the Thoroughbred industry is a labor of love, and he would not have it any other way.
“One of my best friends at my wedding said, ‘I remember when he would have to wake up and go to work really early in the morning and I just thought what the hell is he doing? It’s never going to amount to anything; he’s just going to drive himself crazy.’ Looking back on it, those were some of the most fun (times), working with those horses.
"When we have a horse that we've raised or sold (succeed), it’s the greatest feeling in the world. In a way, I think we’re all chasing that. You just want that thrill of winning in some way, shape, or form."
