From a foal to the finish line- KDM Tour Guides Takes on The Keeneland Sales!

From a foal to the finish line- KDM Tour Guides Takes on The Keeneland Sales!

The KDM front line team conducts a continuing education session quarterly to further our Thoroughbred industry knowledge. Our recent education session took place at historic Keeneland racetrack; 2/3 of our Visitor Services Department travelled to Lexington to learn about and explore the Yearling Sales. During our trip, we met with Blood Stock Agent, Charlie Boden to learn about ways to assess the “flesh” of a racehorse and taught us the “tricks” to narrowing down the horse you want in a pool of 4,000 being auctioned. 

We later met with Repository Supervisor, Cathy Schneck, who taught us about the entering, purchasing and examination process of the Sales. 

Overall, this experience has armed our team with the necessary tools to be better equipped when answering guest questions. 

One Tour Guide was asked: “What did you get out of this trip?” Her response: “I learned more about how horses make it to the track and better understand the financial impact of this industry. Learning first hand made it a memorable experience.”- Mia Simms

Te'Airra McQuarter

Te'Airra McQuarter

Director of Visitor Services at the Kentucky Derby Museum.