yearling sales | Horse Racing Free Tips

Shannon Arvin Discusses Upcoming Keeneland September Sale

In just five weeks, the annual Keeneland September Yearling Sale will be underway. Despite unprecedented challenges and ongoing uncertainty, it will mark the start of a marathon of events for Keeneland and its future President and CEO Shannon Arvin.

“We’ve got a long fall,” said Arvin, who now serves as Interim Head of Sales and will be officially named President-elect on September 1. “We’ve got the September Sale, the October race meet, the Breeders’ Cup that we’re so excited about and then we’ve got the November Breeding Stock sale to follow that. So we’re trying really hard to do everything in our power to continue to be able to host all of those events that are so important to the market and to the industry.”

On July 29, Arvin issued a racing and sales update that offered a glimpse into some of the protocols that would be in place next month once the yearlings enter the sales ground. She explained that Keeneland has been working closely with state and federal government officials, including representatives from Senator Mitch McConnell and Congressman Andy Barr, to seek allowance for international travelers. They’ve also been coordinating with Fasig-Tipton to ensure consistent protocols between the two sales organizations.

In addition, it was announced that anyone entering the sales ground will be required to present proof of a negative COVID-19 test completed within the last five days.

Many questions and concerns have been circling throughout the industry on the logistics of this protocol, but Arvin said that Keeneland has partnered with Wild Health to facilitate on-site testing and that she has full confidence in the company’s ability to offer efficient and accurate testing.

“We’re working really closely with Wild Health, which is based in Lexington,” said Arvin. “We’ve got the ability to test in a way that I don’t know of many other geographic locations that have that available to them. In fact, Wild Health has gone to California and other states where testing is not available and they were able to provide testing. So through that relationship, we are confident in the testing that they are providing. I think it’s really important for people to know that this is not arbitrary.”

Arvin noted that if someone is able to receive testing from other sources, they will be welcome to use those methods if more convenient. She also said that Wild Health is prepared to accommodate anyone who requires on-site testing, regardless of the number of attendees who will be taking advantage of its use.

“We have access to a sufficient number of test. Nobody will be denied entry to the sale because they can’t get access to a test,” Arvin said.

For anyone that may test positive for COVID-19, they will be required to undergo a 10-day isolation period before they can be tested again.

Arvin said, “We know the ramifications of that and we know how that could cause a lot of anxiety for people who say, ‘well, what happens if it’s a false positive?’ We are confident the tests we have are sophisticated enough. Even if somebody is asymptomatic, if they’re spreading the virus, that just heightens the chances of us ultimately being told by government officials that we’re not going to be able to continue to host the sales, the races, and the Breeders’ Cup in November. So we’ll work with people, certainly, but we’ve got to set those rules so that we can act responsibly in the marketplace and continue to stay open.”

For all attendees, masks will be required and bidding locations will be offered in several remote parts of the sales ground in an effort to increase social distancing capabilities.

“I’m not wild about wearing a mask,” said Arvin. “But it seems like it’s a small price to pay to be able to go back to business and conduct the marketplace. It’s not political to me, it’s just polite. However you feel about the virus, the virus is making decisions for us. So we just have to react in the way that has the greatest chance of getting us the result we want, which is to get back to the real world and get back to business.”

Although COVID-19 best-practice responses are subject to change in the coming weeks, Keeneland is continuing to develop protocols in conjunction with Fasig-Tipton, and Arvin said that more detailed plans are to be revealed later this week.

For buyers who are unable to attend this year’s September sale, bidding will be available online and via phone.

Keeneland will be conducting a walking video program for this year’s yearling sale. Consignors will be able to use Keeneland’s broadcast services to film Book 1 and 2 yearlings.

Arvin has been conversing with buyers to find out how they can best utilize these services.

“I’ve heard a lot of people say that they’re not comfortable buying horses off a video,” she said. “I’ve heard some people say that the video is what got them interested in the horse, then they called someone that was physically there that could inspect the horse in person to get that extra confidence you might not have in a video.”

The Keeneland sale’s team is putting together a list of agents who can serve as a source to physically inspect horses for buyers who are not able to attend.

“We certainly understand that videos don’t replace a physical inspection, but in light of where we are, it’s a really good enhancement and an opportunity for people to inspect horses.”

Arvin’s optimistic outlook remains unscathed as the calendar closes in on September.

“Back in March when all this started before my current role, I was, like a lot of people, having trouble sleeping and I was concerned. There was fear. And then at some point I think you just have to wake up and say, ‘you know what, we’ve got what we’ve got and we’re going to make the very best of it.’ It’s going to be tough, but we’re making good decisions. We are strong, we are intelligent and it’s going to be okay.”

And still, the annual anticipation of seeing that first top-class yearling enter the sales ring remains the same.

“You know, I’ve heard so many people say what a great crop it is this year,” Arvin said. “So we’re really excited about it. We are going to do everything physically and intellectually possible to facilitate a really strong marketplace.”

The post Shannon Arvin Discusses Upcoming Keeneland September Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Keeneland, Fasig-Tipton Lobbying For Overseas Buyers

Overseas buyers are an ever-increasing fixture of the American yearling sales. It is not only the big-spending Maktoum family and Coolmore partners who are vital to the health of the market; an international presence stimulates spending at all levels of trade, fueled by visitors from all across Europe-not least the pinhookers who have enjoyed so much success with their buys at the breeze-ups-and Asia, Australasia and the Middle East.

Global travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have, naturally, caused some unrest in the minds of sellers as they put the finishing touches on their yearlings ahead of Fasig-Tipton’s Selected Yearling Showcase in Lexington on Sept. 9 and 10 and Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale from Sept. 13 to 25. Foreign nationals traveling from Europe-as well as Brazil, Iran and China– are currently not permitted to enter the U.S., but Keeneland Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Vince Gabbert said that Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton are together working with government officials on an effort to allow foreign buyers to gain entry for the sales. Gabbert said he is “cautiously optimistic” that they will reach an agreement.

“The way we’ve approached this has been a combination between what we’re seeing with the sports leagues and what we know from a business interest side,” Gabbert said. “We’ve been working very closely with homeland security and we’ve essentially engaged every person we can get a hold of to help us with this, from Congressman [Andy] Barr, who has been extremely helpful from the outset-Senator [Mitch] McConnell, Ambassador [Kelly] Craft and Commissioner [Ryan] Quarles through his relationships with the USDA and Secretary [Sonny] Perdue [of the USDA]. All of them have been really willing to help us and to foster these conversations with homeland security because there are specific waivers that we will have to fill out for our customers who want to travel to make sure they’re able to get over here. All of our conversations with them have been, ‘tell us what protocols you need us to follow for you to have confidence that we’re not going to create an issue, and we’ll do that.’ All of those folks have been extremely helpful, and each individual I’ve mentioned has assigned a specific staffer to our issue so we have specific folks in each of those offices that we’re working with to make sure we get as many people over here as possible.”

Gabbert said ensuring government has an understanding of the importance and economic impact of the Thoroughbred industry is a priority for the Keeneland staff even during normal times, and so the foundation was already laid.

“I feel good about the conversations we’ve had,” he said. “I feel really good about the effort that our government officials are putting in on our behalf. A lot of it is just working through that bureaucracy that just automatically exists within government. I’m cautiously optimistic; we feel like we have a good plan in place for the entirety of the sale and we’re working in concert with Fasig-Tipton as well so we have the same protocols in both places and we’re working together with them on this request as well, so this has been a joint request on behalf of both sales companies. We have an unprecedented partnership with how we’re working together and I feel good about the request and what we’ve put in place. We just have to continue to navigate it and make sure we’re talking to the right folks.”

While overseas visitors may be faced with quarantines upon returning to their home countries, Gabbert said that doesn’t seem to have dampened enthusiasm.

“A lot of our international buyers, especially the Europeans, have expressed a strong, strong interest in coming over here regardless of what happens when they get back,” he said. “We are very excited about the amount of enthusiasm that people are showing in wanting to be here. We’re doing everything we can and we’re fortunate there are still a number of countries that are not on that prohibition. Japan, Australia, and a number of the South American countries that are our markets as well, people are free to travel to and from. They may have different requirements when they return to their home countries, but we are going to do everything we can from a protocol standpoint and everything we can to provide a safe and secure facility so people can come over here with confidence and return home with confidence.”

Gabbert said at this stage that it doesn’t look as if visitors will be required to quarantine when arriving in Kentucky, but COVID testing may be a part of the process.

“We don’t have everything finalized but we’re working very closely with our local health department and both us and Fasig-Tipton are working very closely with local health professionals to make sure that we’re following all the recommendations from the CDC and the local health department,” he said. “Right now we would not anticipate any need for a quarantine or for people to isolate once they get here, but we are looking at what might be available from a testing standpoint, how we monitor that-our goal is to give everybody the confidence that they’re coming onto the grounds in a safe and secure manner, and what all does that entail? Testing is part of that, enforcing social distancing and requiring a mask, reducing capacity in the sales pavilion but still providing other opportunities for people to bid on horses; those are the things we’re working through.”

Gabbert acknowledged that the presence of overseas buyers is “extremely important” and that the Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton teams will continue to lobby for their presence and update their customers along the way.

“I can’t emphasize enough how much we need and want everybody that can get here to get here,” he said. “Especially when you look throughout the sale, each book essentially has a really different feel to it and it’s imperative that we maintain that strength and that buying bench throughout the entire sale, and the international presence is a tremendous part of that. We’re going to keep working on it until we get definition and we’ll be communicating out to our customers and if there is paperwork they have to fill out we’ll be in a spot to assist them to navigate that process.”

The post Keeneland, Fasig-Tipton Lobbying For Overseas Buyers appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

A Spotlight on Stress in the Era of COVID: Craig Bandoroff

Working in racing has always been a stressful occupation; a roller-coaster of emotions, triumphs and tragedies, long hours and travel. Add a global pandemic and unprecedented economic worry, with many participants fearing for their health, livelihoods and businesses, and the stress can become almost overwhelming. It’s the sort of topic many people don’t like to talk about, but we asked several industry participants to open about what particular stresses they were feeling during these very concerning times, and how they were dealing with them.

CRAIG BANDOROFF, Denali Stud

This business is stressful ALL the time. Nobody reading this needs me to go into the specifics or myriad ways. But above all else, the thing I have found in my career that really makes this business so hard is that the percentage of success is so small. Racing, breeding, mares, stallions, pinhooking, whichever facet you look at, the percentage of good outcomes is very small. The opportunities to give good news is infrequent. So often when you call someone, it’s a hard call to make.

With COVID, we’re sitting here as the yearling sales approach with no idea what the market is going to be like. All indicators say it will be down and that it will be tough. The big question is are foreigners going to be allowed to attend. And if so, will they attend even if we find a way to get them here? It just adds to what already is a difficult business and environment. Fortunately, there’s people who love it and want to do it despite how hard it is.

I have the advantage of being an elder statesman now. I’ve been through lots of things from caterpillars to recessions and down cycles before. I feel like there is very little that could happen that I haven’t seen. Obviously this is a very different situation, but we’ve been doing this a long time and have managed to get through difficult years before. Because of that, I have the confidence that we will get through this one.

I think the main thing that helps me sleep at night is recognizing what’s important. How much your horse brings at the sale, although it’s significant, in the scheme of things we are just selling horses, not saving lives. As long as we and our loved ones have our health and safety, and we are surrounded by people who love us, those are the things that are truly important. So we need to remind ourselves of what’s important and keep things in perspective.

I find I have to read the news less and enjoy a good book more. I remind myself, Conrad and our team: We can only control what we can control. Finally, remember what our grandmothers told us: This too shall pass.

Would you like to share your thoughts on stress during this particularly difficult time? Email the TDN’s Sue Finley at suefinley@thetdn.com or Katie Ritz at katieritz@thetdn.com.

The post A Spotlight on Stress in the Era of COVID: Craig Bandoroff appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post