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With all the buzz about the challenges facing the horse industry these days, trade and news publications are in no shortage of perspective from industry leaders with decades of experience. In contrast, Business Lexington wants to hear from tomorrow’s leaders. In this issue, we are launching a series titled “Kentucky’s Equine Industry: the Next Generation,” in which we sit down with young equine industry professionals to get their thoughts on the current and future state of the horse business.
Katherine Wheeler, West Coast representative at the National Thorough-bred Racing Association’s NTRA Advantage program, has worked hands-on with horses as an assistant farm manager with Royal Pegasus Farm and trainer Kenny McPeek. She also has marketing experience with McPeek Racing and The Jockey Club, and she is on the steering committee for Vision 20/20, a group of young Thoroughbred professionals. Wheeler recently joined Business Lexington writer Natalie Voss to discuss the future of the equine industry.
NV (Natalie Voss): What do you believe to be the biggest challenges facing the horse industry today (particularly Kentucky’s horse industry)?
KW (Katherine Wheeler): I think that some of the biggest challenges that face the industry are related to the lack of uniformity state by state. This includes medication rules, licensing and punishment for those who do not abide by the rules. I also think that the industry needs to do a better job of developing the casual fan into an everyday fan. We also need to do a better job of spotlighting the aftercare of the horses [care of racehorses after retirement] and award those who do [care for them appropriately].
NV: How do you think racing can/should address those challenges?
KW: The racing community, including tracks, trainers and state racing commissions [not the federal government], need to come together on one set of standard rules with punishment, not reprimands, to standardized rules, and start enforcing punishment. [Some in the racing industry fear that continued negative PR will result in takeover by the federal government.] The [current] lax rules make it easy for cheaters and discourage the public from trusting the racing industry.
Racing has picked up its efforts on fan education within the past few years with initiatives from Horse Player Now’s “Night School,” Fantasy Capping and The Jockey Club & National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s America’s Best Racing initiative. While these are fantastic ways to learn more about the sport and handicapping, we still need to make horse racing more accessible and less intimidating to outsiders. The majority of the people in the industry become fans because they were physically invited to the track by an industry insider. iPhone apps and computer technology have come a long way in the past few years to bring the Thoroughbred industry to the fan and need to continue to stay updated.
NV: One of the challenges facing the Thoroughbred industry is the lack of a central governing force. If you somehow had the power to change any one thing about the business that you wanted, what would it be?
KW: I would make sure every single horse was cared for. They would have a retirement fund/401(k) that would be set aside until they go into retirement. The funding would come from percentages of race earnings, and percentages of sales/purchases throughout the horse’s career. Of course, anyone connected to the horse could add money to the horse’s retirement fund at any time. The retirement fund would be able to roll over to another horse if something were to happen to them. The money couldn’t be accessed by just anyone; you would have to be accredited. I would also make sure that there is a set system for accountability of previous owners in a national database. If a horse is found uncared for — or in the extreme, dead — then the last owner on record would be responsible and could face disciplinary action.
NV: How do you see the future of horse racing in Kentucky? What are your hopes/fears for it?
KW: Kentucky’s future will be fine. At one time, I thought we needed slots in order to stay on the same playing field as surrounding states where trainers are running their horses due to larger purse sizes [funded by slots/racinos]. However, as I watch Ontario’s racing future unfold, I think that it is a blessing that Kentucky has not been able to pass slots. [The Ontario government, which had initially allowed slots to fund horse racing, has recently decided to end the program, causing uncertainty in the province’s industry.]
What happens when the state loses the supplement? Do racino managers really even care about the horse industry, or is it just the way they can legally get the location?
Would the slots help Kentucky’s industry? Absolutely, but temporarily. We are able to support ourselves and successfully race without slot money. Not many states can claim that. Kentucky is unique with how accessible horses are, and we embrace that, but we are less agricultural than we used to be and need to do a better job of physically getting people close to horses. Society does not have the connection with farm animals that it did in the past, but if we can introduce them to the horse, the love and the will to win will follow.