THE FOLLOWING PIECE WAS WRITTEN BY CURRENT, AND LONGTIME, KENWOOD RACING SHAREHOLDER GEORGE BARRETT, AFTER JOINING THE KENWOOD TEAM AT THE OBS APRIL SALE THIS SPRING WITH HIS WIFE, MARLA. WE LOVE HAVING SHAREHOLDERS AND FRIENDS OF KENWOOD RACING JOIN US AT THESE SALES, FOR A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE NOT OFFERED BY MANY PARTNERSHIPS THAT IS BOTH EDUCATIONAL AND FUN! AT THIS PARTICULAR SALE WE PURCHASED 'RED HEAD ITALIAN', OUR 2YO BUCHERRO FILLY WHO IS DEBUTING THIS UPCOMING FRIDAY AT MONMOUTH PARK, AND WE THOUGHT IT WAS WORTH SHARING WITH EVERYONE!
GET IN TOUCH TODAY TO EXPERIENCE THE THRILL OF VICTORY, TOGETHER, WITH KENWOOD RACING!
My wife, Marla, and I (“Newbies”) arrived in Ocala with no idea what to expect. We owned a piece of 12 horses with Kenwood in the past but had never been to a sale. Observing the time and effort put in by Robb and Scott (“Dynamic Duo”) was truly amazing! In addition, they were gracious hosts and patient teachers.
Early Saturday morning we met up with the Dynamic Duo in the track grandstands to watch the timed workouts. We were given a thick paperback catalog (“Bible”) which had a page of lineage information for each horse in the sale identified by a Hip Number. The white adhesive Hip Number is placed on rear of the horse. The announcer would call out the Hip Number and the Newbies watched each horse’s timed run and gallop out while the Dynamic Duo diligently observed and made notes in their Bibles. Most of the horses were timed for an eighth of mile in around 10 seconds. Only a few were able to break the 10 second barrier.
In mid-afternoon, the time trials ended and we met with Kenwood’s consultant, a renowned Bloodstock Agent, Jacob West where notes were compared to narrow down the possible candidates. Then we were off to the barns to visually inspect the horses that made the short list. As the barns are spread out over hundreds of acres, there was no problem eclipsing 15,000 steps that day. During the trek across the complex grounds, the Newbies would bombard the Dynamic Duo and Jacob with questions which they graciously answered providing an awesome learning experience.
The night ended with the four of us enjoying a relaxing dinner and drinks as we recapped the day’s events while getting to know each other a little better.
Sunday was much the same as Saturday with the addition of long-time owner Cyn L (“Catwoman”) to our group (“Fab Five”). It was an 8:15 AM post time for the Fab Five’s departure from our hotel which was only ten minutes away from the OBS grounds. During the day, we met Kenwood’s trainers, walked another 15,000+ steps and got additional schooling on the auction process from the Dynamic Duo while viewing magnificent animals being prepped for the sale. We were fortunate to be provided a BBQ lunch by a consignor after viewing one of her horses. It hit the spot and gave our legs a short break before moving on!
With the day’s work now completed, the Fab Five ended the evening with dinner and drinks at a local restaurant while enjoy stories in a relaxing atmosphere.
Monday was another early post time but a much shorter day as most of the required work and inspections had already been done by the Dynamic Duo. They had their short list so it was time to take a second look and speak privately to consignors about price reserves and interest in their horses. The Fab Five departed OBS in the early afternoon to get cleaned up before heading back for a fund-raising event including cocktails and food. It was another great day.
Tuesday was the much-anticipated Day 1 of the auction. We were joined by Kenwood’s accountant and Robb’s longtime friend, Allen Katz, and his wife, Beth. Our group had now grown to the (“Magnificent Seven”). Robb showed us the lay of the land and explained the process. Bidding can take place both inside the auditorium and the outside walking arena. There are no paddles, just subtle gestures by the bidders after catching the eye of one of the several bid spotters located throughout both areas. We watched the bidding, saw a horse sell for $1,450,000, had a Bob Baffert siting while anxiously awaiting…
Finally Hip Number 237 was called and now it was game time for Robb! After catching the eye of a bid spotter, a slight head nod got the process started. It took several more barely noticeable nods before for Robb was successful in purchasing Red Head Italian for $40,000 a price significantly less than Kenwood’s limit. It was a job well done and super exciting for the Newbies.
Next up was a celebration dinner for the Magnificent Seven at the famous Bern’s Steak House in Tampa. All I can say is WOW!!!! It was an amazing experience with excellent food and a dessert room that is out of this world. There was much laughter, storytelling and just great camaraderie. What a way to end our trip.
Thank you so much Robb and Scott for all the memories. They will be cherished forever!