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WinStar Farm Promotes O’Rourke To Director Of Bloodstock Services; Desch Joins Stallion Season Sales Team

WinStar Farm has announced the promotion of Liam O'Rourke as its new Director of Bloodstock Services. In conjunction with O'Rourke's promotion, Olivia Desch joins Chris Knehr on the Stallion Season Sales team.

“We are fortunate to be in a position to promote from within,” said Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm. “Our team is deep with talent and we pride ourselves on hiring people that our clients enjoy working with. Liam has been an integral part of our team for the last four years and I have complete confidence in him.”

Originally from Toronto, Ontario, O'Rourke joined the WinStar bloodstock team in 2016.

“Since joining WinStar I have had the opportunity to work with and learn from some of the most talented people in the industry,” O'Rourke said. “While my main focus will remain on our stallion roster, I will now have the flexibility to expand into more bloodstock opportunities. I look forward to the new challenge and achieving shared success with the WinStar team and our shareholders.”

Desch, born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been with WinStar since 2019 when she was hired as a bloodstock assistant. She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a BS in Equine Science and Management and prepped yearlings for Lane's End prior to interning with WinStar in 2017.

“I am confident that our dedicated breeders will continue to have the best possible customer experience when they work with Chris Knehr and Olivia,” O'Rourke said. “Chris is a seasoned, knowledgeable team member and makes the breeding process easy for our customers. Olivia, through her hard work and dedication, has grown from an intern into a bloodstock and marketing assistant and now into a full-time bloodstock and sales role while gaining experience across a number of our divisions. Dedication to our clients will be the hallmark of this team.”

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Price Bell Named Mill Ridge Farm General Manager

Mill Ridge Farm is pleased to announce the appointment of Price Bell Jr. as its general manager.

Upon completing his MBA from Vanderbilt's Owen School in 2010, Price returned to Lexington and his life's passion, the Thoroughbred industry. With conviction for the sport and believing in the great opportunity to develop the industry's fan base, Price became actively involved with the founding of Horse Country, while assisting as a bloodstock agent for the Mill Ridge affiliate, Nicoma Bloodstock. He serves on the boards of the KTA-KTOB, TOBA, National Museum of Racing, Fayette Alliance, Amplify Horse Racing, and Horse Country.

Price said it is a tremendous honor to work with the team at Mill Ridge, many of whom worked with his grandmother and 2020 National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame inductee, Alice Chandler.

“In the summer of 1995, I began work at Mill Ridge Farm under the tutelage of the team responsible for raising generations of great Thoroughbreds. It is an honor to work with many team members from when I first started,” said Price.

His father, Headley Bell, will continue on as Mill Ridge Farm, managing partner, a role he has enjoyed since 2008, as well as enhancing its affiliate, Nicoma Bloodstock, which he founded in 1979.

Since 2000, Mill Ridge Farm has raised and/or sold 35 Grade 1 winners. The affiliate, Nicoma Bloodstock, has led its clients to reach the pinnacles of success by capturing countless Grade 1 races including: two Arc de Triomphes, two Kentucky Derbies, one Kentucky Oaks, four Breeders' Cup races and two Horse of the Year titles in 40 years of service.

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Keeneland Realigns Racing And Sales Operations For Future Growth

Keeneland announced on Thursday a strategic realignment of its core racing and sales operations to strengthen its ability to execute its mission and better serve the needs of its global clientele.

Keeneland president-elect Shannon Arvin will serve as interim head of sales while a search is conducted this fall for a new vice president of sales. Arvin, who as a partner with Stoll Keenon Ogden (SKO) has served as corporate counsel to Keeneland since 2008 and as secretary and advisory member of Keeneland's Board of Directors since 2015, was named July 2 to succeed Bill Thomason as Keeneland President and CEO upon his retirement at the end of the year.

Under the realignment, Bob Elliston will become Keeneland's vice president of racing. With more than two decades of industry leadership experience, Elliston will focus his attention on advancing Keeneland's racing product, industry-wide safety and integrity initiatives, preparations for the upcoming Breeders' Cup World Championships and expanding Keeneland's mission to grow the sport.

“The demands of these two globally significant business lines require tremendous time and resources, especially as we navigate these unprecedented times and get ready for a fall season that includes two major sales, the Fall Meet and Breeders' Cup,” Keeneland president and CEO Bill Thomason said. “We understand the uncertainty and the extraordinary challenges our customers are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We want them to know that we are all in this together, and we are committed to providing the best opportunities for them to succeed in the sales ring and on the race track. This realignment enables Keeneland to deliver on this promise when our industry needs it most.”

Arvin and Elliston both bring a wealth of expertise and passion for Keeneland to their roles and they will provide a seamless transition for the Keeneland team and its customers. In her position as counsel, Arvin has worked alongside the Keeneland sales and executive staffs on operational plans for the September Yearling Sale, safety protocols, online bidding and beyond. Elliston has led racing operations since 2016, bolstering safety and welfare protocols, introducing the position of equine safety director and negotiating the return of the Breeders' Cup.

As the world's largest Thoroughbred auction company, Keeneland conducts four sales annually, which last year grossed more than $627 million and includes the prestigious September Yearling and November Breeding Stock Sales. Keeneland recently launched its online auction platform, Keeneland Digital Sales Ring.

“The Keeneland sales are an important economic engine for Keeneland and vital to the global Thoroughbred industry,” Arvin said. “Over these next few months, I look forward to working alongside Bill, listening to our customers, learning from our sales team and evaluating opportunities to further enhance Keeneland's premier sales.”

In addition to spring and fall race meet operations and the track's multimillion-dollar stakes program, Elliston will continue to oversee initiatives critical to the health of the sport such as safety and integrity innovations, elevating the racing experience for Keeneland customers and expanding outreach to grow the sport for future generations.

“As we saw during the recent Summer Meet, racing at Keeneland is second to none, and I am excited to be able to focus my attention on preparing for the Fall Meet and Breeders' Cup,” Elliston said. “I am proud of the great strides we have made, particularly in the areas of safety and fan development, and I look forward to building on the foundation we have put in place.”

Keeneland will hold its September Sale from Sept. 13-25 and Fall Meet from Oct. 2-24; Breeders' Cup returns Nov. 6-7, immediately followed by the November Sale, which begins Nov. 9.

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