Volume 7, No. 12
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Fillies in the Workplace: Meg Jewett
Horse Breeder, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist by Kathie Stanps Photo by Keni Parks
A love of horses, particularly the Standard-
bred, has been in Meg Jewett’s family tree for 122 years. Her great-grandfather, Lamon Vanderburg Harkness, was born in Ohio, and after living in New York and California, he came to Lexington, Ky., in 1892. He bought 400 acres of land for his carriage horses on a horse farm named Walnut Hall, and soon got into racing and breeding Standardbred horses. He continued to buy land and wound up with 5,000 acres in Fayette County before he died in 1915. The Kentucky Horse Park sits on 1,200 of those acres, while Jewett owns the original 400 acres her greatgrandfather purchased. “When he died, my grandmother continued; when she died, my mother continued; when she died, I continued,” Jewett said. As the owner of Walnut Hall she is still raising, breeding and racing Standardbred horses. “Our population is about 100 horses,” she said. “It depends on the time of year.” There are more, of course, when foals and yearlings are on the farm. Jewett’s husband, Alan Leavitt, is president and general manager of the farm. “We met in the horse business,” she said.
father) was Stephen V. Harkness, who co-founded Standard Oil Company with John D. Rockefeller, Sr. in 1870. Fast-forward to the new millennium. In 2000 Jewett started a high-end gift enterprise in downtown Lexington. She named it L.V. Harkness, in honor of her great-grandfather. “I thought it was something fun to do,” she said. “It was going to be small. And it grew and grew and grew.” In the beginning, she and her team topped the tables of the Greentree Tearoom with porcelain and silver pieces. The tearoom, which also opened in 2000, is known for its prix fixe luncheon menu that changes each month. “It’s fun to go over for tea,” Jewett said. The Greentree Tearoom is located on a property known as Greentree Close on West Short Street. When another building in the Close became available, Jewett and her staff of four moved into a former machine shop to open the retail store. L.V. Harkness now has 20 employees.
Meg Jewett
By the way, Jewett’s great-great-grandfather (and L.V. Harkness’
“We just went in, like doing a set on a play,” Jewett said. “We put walls up and turned it into our store.”
Upstairs there is a board room that becomes a space for parties from time to time. It opens onto a rooftop garden, designed by Jon Carloftis.
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“Two summers ago, Jon and Dale put all vegetables out there,” Jewett said. The rooftop garden was then photographed for Southern Living magazine. This year, instead of veggies there are seasonal flowers and plants, in a lovely space for cocktail receptions. L.V. Harkness has a worldwide clientele. “We do a lot of gifts for corporations and businesses, sending things all over the world,” she said. While merchandise is shipped out, at the same time there are plenty of global visitors who stop by the store in person. “When you think about Lexington, you think about tourism,” Jewett said. “That’s where we make our business, when people come in for horse events, whether it’s for the sales or the races. That’s our biggest market.” People come to Lexington from all over the world for events at the Kentucky Horse Park too. “We’ve seen that grow, the sporting horses, which is becoming bigger and bigger in Lexington,” Jewett said. The store’s inventory has evolved and grown over the years. “It’s eclectic and it’s just what I like,” she said. “I try to have everything here so I don’t have to go anywhere else.” To keep the merchandise current unique, Jewett and her staff travel to markets in New York four times a year and to shows in Atlanta twice a year. They purchase crystal, glass, porcelain and silver products for L.V. Harkness from Europe, particularly places like Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Italy and Poland. “At the Paris show, we will visit the crystal factory or porcelain factories,” she said. “They pick us up and take us on tours. It’s lovely.” Some of the purses, baby clothes and diaper bags are provided by Kentucky designers. Other exquisite items at L.V. Harkness include jewelry, formal and casual dinnerware, barware, equestrian statuary and other objets d’art, home accessories and personalized stationery, bed linens and custom slip covers. The store even has its own fabric workroom. In the early 2000s, Jewett started off carrying high-end porcelain, silver and crystal. L.V. Harkness then expanded to include a bridal registry, then interior design, and then corporate gifts and trophies. There are thousands and thousands of SKUs at the store. In 2005 the company was commissioned to design a trophy for the Red Mile, in the form of a beautiful porcelain bowl. The trophy is presented annually to the winner of the Kentucky Futurity. L.V. Harkness also provided trophies and medals for each of
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the eight disciplines at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington. Jewett and her team worked with two companies, including Moser Crystal of the Czech Republic, for almost a year and a half. “We did the team trophies with people from Russia, who had a machine that lasers into the glass block so it looks three-dimensional,” Jewett said. While she finds that most trophies these days are crystal, Jewett is working more with porcelain for trophies. “It used to be way back, in the beginning, trophies were sterling silver, then silver-plated,” she said. “Then they went to pewter, then copper, and now manufacturers are making all metals— stainless steel, alloy, combinations. Now we do everything.” For trophies and other pieces that are bought at L.V. Harkness, engraving is done on the premises. While owning a retail store and a horse farm are equally fulltime jobs, Jewett manages to squeeze even more out of life by donating her time and resources to charities close to her heart. She has served on the board of directors for the Headley-Whitney Museum, chaired the Lexington Public Library Foundation, and currently sits on boards for the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation and the Kentucky Horse Park Commission. Jewett is deeply passionate about saving horses from neglect and slaughter. In 2006 she got together with Nick and Kim Zito and other horse lovers to plan a shelter. On April 16, 2007, the Kentucky Equine Humane Center opened its barn doors in Jessamine County. Of the 21 founding members of the nonprofit organization, more than half remain on the advisory board. “What makes us different from other horse rescue organizations is that we take any horse, all breeds, in any shape,” Jewett said. “We’ve had mules, donkeys, miniature horses, Arabians and paints, but the majority are Thoroughbreds.” The barns at the Kentucky Equine Humane Center have the capacity to hold 45 horses at any given time, but some of the rescue horses do make their way to Walnut Hall. “We have lots of throwaway horses on our farm,” Jewett admitted. At first the mission of KyEHC was to stop the slaughter of horses, which was taking place in Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas and other states. “We managed to close down all the slaughter houses in America,” Jewett said. Yet she cringes to think they still exist in Mexico and Canada. “It’s sickening,” she said. “Your heart breaks.” The Kentucky Equine Humane Center invests hundreds of dollars on each horse that comes in, for farrier and veterinar-
the rebellion and kids up in arms, all of the exams were canceled. “We didn’t have to take finals,” she said. “We never went to class.” She did graduate, however, with a Juris Doctor, and practiced law in New York for five years before getting married and moving to Las Vegas. Although she took boards in Ohio and New York, she is no longer a practicing attorney, citing the Abraham Lincoln quote: “He who represents himself has a fool for a client.” Jewett calls herself a retailer and horse breeder now. But let’s add “educator” to her list of accomplishments.
The Kentucky Equine Humane Center’s board of directors meets every month at L.V. Harkness and they are always coming up with new ideas for fundraisers, so there is no telling what kinds of parties and events will take place in 2014. For all her ties to the horse world and the Bluegrass, Jewett actually grew up in Cincinnati. “We would come down on weekends and in the summer,” she said of Walnut Hall in Lexington.
Meg’s Farm, Walnut Hall
She spent her high school years at a boarding school outside of New York City, and then went to Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where she studied political science and history. It is indeed a small world: her political science teacher at Vassar came from Georgetown College. “Then I came back home, and my parents had an island in the West Indies, in the Caribbean,” she said. “They were turning it into a resort, so I was helping do that for a year.” Then she was off to the University of Cincinnati College of Law. “My senior year in law school was when the girl was killed at Kent State,” she said. What with the antiwar protests,
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ian bills, and feed. More than 700 horses have gone through the doors in the past six years. As a nonprofit, KyEHC relies solely on grants and private donations, not government funding. The center is able to stay open through the generous donations of individual and corporate horse lovers. Contributions are also appreciated in the form of straw and hay, grain and sweet feed, and office supplies. And volunteers are welcome with open arms. There are opportunities to man the center’s booth at trade show and events, and to perform farm chores like cleaning water buckets and hauling feed. One-on-one volunteer training can be scheduled year-round.
In the early 1980s Jewett co-founded a private school in Las Vegas, the Meadows School. It is a coeducational nonprofit day school, similar to Lexington’s Sayre School. The Meadows School began with first through fifth grades, and then added preschool, kindergarten and every year up through 12th grade. The school now has an enrollment of 900 students. One of the athletic facilities is called the L.V. Harkness Jewett Field House.
Jewett’s son, Lamon “Harky” Jewett, is a writer. He is in the film business in Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife, whom he met at the Meadows School in Las Vegas. In December 2013, they are going to make Meg Jewett a grandmother. “Let me just say the baby section of the store has really grown by leaps and bounds,” she said. Throughout the year Jewett is hopping on and off airplanes for business trips abroad and to her other home in Las Vegas. But for all her jet-setting, she calls Lexington a great place to live. “It’s good for the soul,” she said. “It has such depth and culture. It’s beautiful.”
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style and overall horsemanship), juniors from around the country, if qualified, are eligible to compete in the class. A day high in emotion, adrenaline and focused determination, N.Y. resident Lillie Keenen won the prestigious class with her nearly perfect execution of the tests, besting a field of 148 riders. A class with its roots in providing an opportunity for the future generation of professional horseman to showcase their skill, plenty of tears were wiped away as awards were handed out; a recognition of the passing of the torch. For Keenan, this was her fourth year competing in the Maclay Finals and the 17-year-old finished her competition year with the coveted title. Lexington native and renowned course designer, Bobby Murphy in a collaborative effort produced a brilliant test of control, skill and finesse for the up-and-coming riders. Growing up in the industry, Murphy has quickly risen to fame in the hunter/jumper realm with his creative course designs that blend the old and the new. Showing great respect for the traditions of the sport, Murphy also has a keen eye for modern elements, and his first “go” at the Maclay Finals proved masterful. “My experience as course designer for the Maclays was, well, the first word the comes to mind is amazing. I keep going back to the moment when they announced the winner and standing there with co-designers U.S. Show Jumping Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland and Susie Humes, a well-known horsewoman on many levels, and being so proud,” he recalled. “And at the same time so relieved that the famous ASPCA Maclay Finals had been a pure success.” In reflecting on the ingenuity of the course, Murphy offered insight into the strategy behind its design. “We had to build a course that was the proving ground of champions; a course that let the future riders of our sport show off their horsemanship skills, and I feel that we achieved that goal. A champion shined that day.” As Murphy’s first year in co-designing for the prestigious class, he has added another great demonstration to his resume and is a true Lexington asset. “What I like about the National being moved to Lexington is the 130 years of tradition it brings to the Horse Capital of the World, and also the relationships that the Alltech National Horse Show is building in the community. Alltech certainly has been a big part in building the future tradition of the National at the Horse Park.
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Bobby Murphy (© Liz Soroka) This event will make Lexington proud for many years to come,” Murphy said. New this year at the National was the unveiling of the Kentucky Gathering events that ran concurrently though the show. The festival catered to horse lovers and non-horsey folk alike with the Biggest Loser 5K RunWalk and the Savor Kentucky showcase – a collection of Kentucky microbrews, restaurants and distillers showcasing their creations. With bourbon, beer and good food along with plenty of family-friendly activities, Kentucky hospitality was on display at its finest.
A Successful First: U.S. Dressage Finals As the National wrapped up and ribbons were packed away, the Alltech Arena transformed into a stage for the inaugural U.S. Dressage Finals presented by Adequan at the Kentucky Horse
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James Koford and Rhett Final Salute at the National Dressage Finals (© Shirley McQuillian) Park on November 7-10. While riders from all over the country competed in the adult amateur and open divisions from Training Level through Grand Prix, it was local rider, James Koford, that took home top honors in the open Grand Prix class. “The Kentucky Horse Park is my favorite venue for competition. Having access to a world class competition venue is one of the reasons I moved to Lexington,” Koford said. Feeling more grounded from a good night’s rest in his own bed, this world-class dressage rider also feels another hometown advantage. “The stands are filled with friends, students and family so you definitely have the crowd on your side.” Moving to the area this past April, Koford has seen first-hand the area’s draw for the horse crowd. Winning with his long-time show partner “Rhett”, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Shirley McQuillan, the top honors proved especially sweet. “Rhett is my buddy. We have been working together for 7 years and have a terrific partnership. Rhett loves adventure, and we both love to compete in the big ring,” said Koford. Koford and Rhett will be travelling south to Wellington, Florida for the three month circuit beginning in January to compete in
the selection trials for the World Cup and the World Equestrian Games to be held in 2014 in Normandy, France. (A formal bid was submitted by Lexington to host the World Equestrian Games in 2018, joining U.S. city Wellington as well as the Canadian bid from Bromont, Quebec).
The Young Horse Show Series And while it may not have been exactly on Horse Park grounds, neighbor and fellow supporter of many of the events held at the Park, Spy Coast Farm hosted the Young Horse Show Series Qualifier and Finals on November 8-9. Designed for young dressage, eventing and hunter/jumper prospects – this show series is gaining traction across the country and is spearheaded by top industry players including two Lexington farm owners – Lisa Lourie of Spy Coast Farm and Jean-Yves Tola of Jump Start Farm. The series provides a showcase for American breeders and young horse development in the States. The two-day show also included a special Stallion Preview Party and Open House at the new Young Horse Development Center addition to Spy Coast Farm.
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW.. EVENTS AT THE KENTUCKY HORSE PARK Although the competition schedule may quiet down at the Park, cozy up inside at the United States Hunter Jumper Association’s (USHJA “Wheeler Museum. Their latest exhibit, Elegance, Power, Heart - The Thoroughbred Show Horse, runs until December 15 and highlights the versatility of the Thoroughbred. A state treasure, the breed is gaining popularity once again in the show ring, and this exhibit shows the tremendous influence of the Thoroughbred in the evolution of the sport. See it before it’s gone! The Winter Season of the Horse Park (November 4, 2013 - March 13, 2014, 9am to 5pm). Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays Adult $10.00 Child (7-12) $5.00 Children 6 & under Free Prices listed above includes admission to the International Museum of the Horse, The Parade of Breeds Show, Horse Drawn Trolley Tour, along with other sightseeing opportunities. Road to the Horse (March 13-16): Returning to the Horse Park this year, this exciting coltstarting event showcases expert horse trainers as they build a relationship with a previously unbroken horse and have a final test of skill. For more information visit kyhorsepark.com and khpfoundation.org See TopsinLex.com for photo coverage of these and other events.
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Picture Perfect Auction
Sir Alfred J. Munning, Blue Prince II by Cyndi Goyer Greathouse
A vast collection of fine art mixed with a hint of curiosity brought enthusiastic spectators and buyers to the Inaugural
Sporting Art Auction at the Keeneland Sales Pavilion on November 20th. The collaboration between the world’s largest Thoroughbred auction house, Keeneland and the country’s premier gallery of fine sporting art and contemporary British figurative painting, Cross Gate Gallery, offered 174 museum quality “sporting” paintings and sculpture by British and American artists and works by important American realist and impressionist painters to Lexington. It seemed only fitting that the Horse Capitol of the World should be the location of the first Sporting Art Auction. “We are delighted with the great support we received from the Central Kentucky community, the horse industry, and sporting art collectors, who turned out in force to participate in the auction,” said Cross Gate Gallery owner Greg Ladd. “Their enthusiasm translated into spirited bidding throughout the evening.” The auction raised more than $3.11 million and will benefit the Keeneland Foundation. Among the auction’s most important pieces included several oil paintings by British artist Sir Alfred J. Munnings, regarded as one of the world’s finest equine painters. Solely hanging in the center of the sales pavilion stage throughout the auction, a setting typically reserved for the finest Thoroughbreds as they are bought and sold, was Munnings’ Blue Prince II. This 26 ½” x 39 ¼” oil, is a traditional English style piece commissioned by Thoroughbred owner, breeder, and sporting art enthusiast Walter Jeffords.
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“We couldn’t have asked for a better sporting art auction, especially for year one,” said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Walt Robertson. “Eighty-one percent of the pieces sold, which is tremendous, and 48 percent of those sold for more than the high estimate value listed in the catalog.” Topping the sale was LeRoy Neiman’s Flat Racing, a massive 17’ x 7’ mural using 119 glazed 12” x 12” ceramic tiles as the surface, brought $291,000 and depicts horses galloping down the stretch. This truly unique, colorful mural was commissioned by Mr. Charles Bidwill, Jr. in 1976 to be installed in Sportman’s Park in Chicago. Three generations of Wyeth’s were represented; grandfather N.C., father Andrew, and son Jamie. Andrew Wyeth’s 1964 tempera on Masonite piece, Marsh Hawk, earned the top bid of the evening at $4.8 million, yet did not make its reserve. Important American artist Mary Cassatt’s large Children Playing with a Cat received a bid of $4.7 million. Other important artists with pieces up for auction included Sir John Frederick Herring, Edward Troye, Franklin Voss, Andre Pater, John Ferneley, Sr., Peter Curling and Charles Church. Lexington-based artist Andre Pater had a very successful evening. Two of his works, which were some of the last to sell in the catalogue, exceeded their stated values. One of his early paintings of an Arabian horse and rider, Sandstorm, went for $80,000, exceeding its stated value by $20,000. Pater’s finished oil, The Gift of Scent, of six hounds on a chase, went for $160,000 with the charcoal Study for the Gift of Scent brought $30,000–well over the catalogue estimate.
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Richard Stone Reeves, Nijinsky II, Liam Ward Up
Andre Pater, The Gift of Scent
Andre Pater, Sandstorm
Jeaneen Barnhart, Full Charge
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Greg Ladd The sport of yachting was represented by two signed oil paintings by British born artist Richard Firth – Shamrock V and Enterprise, America’s Cup 1930 and Lulworth and Westward, Racing Off Norris Castle. N.Y. Jets – Denver, Shea Stadium, Oct. 13 ‘68 by LeRoy Neiman, a colorful 19 ½” x 24 ¼” watercolor, depicts a play during this football match, and was the sole piece of art from the sport of American football. American Richard Stone Reeves’ horse and rider oil portraits sold quite well. Two of his works, Hyperion and Nijinsky II, Liam Ward Up more than doubled catalogue estimations. Two of the more interesting paintings were horse and jockey portraits in oil on canvas en grisailles, a term for painting executed entirely in monochrome or nearmonochrome, by American Henry Stull were produced for the purpose to be reproduced as a lithograph. These unique paintings will remain with the same buyer, and brought $29,900 together. Louisville-based artist Jeaneen Barnhart’s charcoal on paper was purchased for $7,500, five times the catalogue estimate. It is rumored that fashion icon Ralph Lauren purchased Full Charge through a phone bid. French sculpture Isidore Jules Bonheur’s bronze Le Grand Jockey was offered. This, the most famous of Bonheur’s mounted equestrian sculptures, depicts a winning jockey giving his mount a congratulatory neck pat. Other bronze artists represented included Kentuckian Alexa King, American George Claxton, German Hans Müller, French Henri Alfred Jacquemart, Britian Philip Blacker and African Dylan Lewis. The Sporting Art Auction is planned to be an annual event. Ladd said they would look through the catalog, assess what sold well and refine next year’s lots. The hope is that the Sporting Art Auction will become the world’s most important of its kind, and if the lively and spirited bidding is any indication, it appears the hope may just become a reality. For more information visit www.thesportingartauction.com
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From Humble Kentucky Roots to Championship Seasons
Groupie Doll
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Takes a Family on a Roller Coaster Ride... That May Not Be Over Yet.
On Saturday, November 2 Santa Anita Park was jammed
with race fans that came out to watch racing’s elite horses and horsemen compete in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. As the fastest fillies and mares in the land made their way to post for the $1,000,000 Sprint, Bluegrass-based trainer William “Buff ” Bradley wove through the crowd to watch the race along the railing at his “lucky spot”, as he called it. The gates sprung, both human and equine adrenaline rushed and the voice of announcer Larry Collmus raised to a crescendo, “and they are into the stretch and it is Groupie Doll and she’s made the lead as they come to the eighth pole, competition coming from Judy the Beauty and Dance Card. Groupie Doll digs in for all she has and she has enough to win it! Groupie Doll does it again, Groupie Doll is a champion again!”
“Do you have a message for your father?” Taking a deep breath he replied, “Yeah, this is for him – it is.” There were no more words as he obviously fought back tears believing he had seen Groupie Doll’s last track triumph in a race she had won the previous year. The sensitivity to the moment was made even more heartfelt for Buff as he knew his champion mare was to be sold at auction only three days later. Unlike many of the major breeding operations that are thoroughbred showcases in Central Kentucky, the Bradley’s Indian Ridge Farm in Frankfort is a modest working farm and a family affair. “My father bought the farm in ’67 and we moved out there in ’72. I’ve been working probably since ’73 and we’ve done most of all the work ourselves. Cutting the posts and putting the fences up, you know from the very start doing everything it took to make it a horse farm. It was a cattle farm and we eventually turned it into a thoroughbred horse farm - my dad always loved the horses.”
The afternoon’s victory trophy presentations included a former champion jockey-turned The Final Bid on Groupie Doll owner doing a dangerous balancing act on the railing While not big in numbers, and nationally-known sportscaster Jim Rome hoisting the trophy over their farm has experienced phenomenal success. “We’ve always kept his head saying, “This does not suck.” Buff Bradley’s acceptance speech between 10 and 20 mares and probably averaged about 10 foals a year. was eloquent and seven words long. His 82-year-old father and coSo having a horse like this and Brass Hat it really is something special.” breeder of the 5-year-old filly did not make the trip and was watching Brass Hat is the horse they always thought they would hang their hat from his home in Frankfort, Kentucky. Host Jay Privman asked Buff,
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Buff Bradley with Groupie Doll
Buff Bradley and Fred Bradley
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“We’ve been very lucky for the mares we bred to the stallions we bred to,” stated Buff. “We just take hardracing mares and breed them to hard-running stallions that could run a little bit. We are hoping for a decent allowance horse most of the time. We have had sheer joy with Groupie Doll and Brass Hat, but any homebred you raise when you see them win it is just something special.”
pose displaying the muscular body she had developed through her 21-race career. Buff eyed her performance before her admirers and proudly reflected on his first moments with her. “She was a beautiful baby, she was still soaking wet when she came out her mom and we said ‘This baby is beautiful.’ When she stood up I said ‘we’ve got the one we’ve been looking for now.’ I didn’t know she was going to be a stakes horse, a graded stakes horse much less a champion.” When you run a family farm, everyone pitches in. “My son Drew, who was nine at the time, looked at her and said, ‘You never know Dad, this could be another Brass Hat.’ And in this sport that is what you live for and you don’t know what you have – it’s the unknown, but knowing you could have another Brass Hat has always been our thing. We’ve been so fortunate and so blessed and we know that, we know we have been very lucky.”
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on. Under the care of Buff, his father’s homebred gelding raced from 3 to 9 amassing $2,167,921. The fan favorite Grade 1 winner recorded nine stakes victories and set track records at Gulfstream Park and Churchill Downs. Hard to believe such a modest farm would catch lightning in a bottle twice.
In a time when we see so many nice horses make a big splash and be retired after their 3-year-old season, Buff Bradley is considered “old school” and his horses thrive through soundness and consistency, lessons he learned from a legendary Cajun horseman. “I came up under Suzie Oldham-Picou’s Among many touching dad Clarence Picou. He moment leading up to he trained for us back in the sale was the visit from Fred ‘70’s and after I graduated Bradley. Matt Herbert led from Kentucky State Uniher over to him and the versity with a Business former Brigadier General Management degree I told and Kentucky State SenaDad ‘I want to go work for tor gave her a few pats on Clarence.’ I told him I’d the head and said, “Be a Buff Bradley and Mandy Pope After the Sale of Groupie Doll stay on through his Nogood girl, show them how vember State Senate re-election good you are.” He then looked and then I’m going to go on and work for Clarence. I went with him Matt in the eyes and nodded stating, “You’re going to lose a friend for five years and the he said ‘Your ready’ and he pushed me out in aren’t you? So am I.” ’93. He was a great friend and a great mentor, I really learned a lot Lifelong friends and well wishers continued to stop by the barn and through him.” give their support to Buff, all of them knowing how the separation It was the morning of the November Keeneland Sale, only three days after Groupie Doll’s hard-fought win in the Breeders’ Cup. Buff was putting on a pretty good game face, but there was no hiding his mixed emotions as he stood outside of her stall. She looked regal and showed no signs of jet lag. As she was led to parade for prospective buyers she had a sprite step in her stride and was happy to strike a
from his stable star had to be weighing on him. There was no 800 lb. gorilla in the corner, just a beautiful shining 1,100 lb mare in her stall and the question had to be asked “How hard is this sale on you?” Buff paused, glanced over at her and said, “I can’t even tell you. It’s going to be very tough. It was very tough when we made the decision, but it was a decision that my partners, my family, my help, my employees
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– everybody backed me 100% and said I was doing the right thing so that made it easier.”
it’s like family, they are amazing to work for they are all really good people.”
“They understand that the sale of Groupie Doll is going to be good for everyone in the long run. I’m going to be at work tomorrow morning at 5:30 a.m. at Churchill Downs. It’s not going to change our life in that sense. We’re not going to go buy $100,000 horses we are going to stick to what we’ve been doing, it has worked.
Keeneland sales staff then gave the call to get ready to go to the ring. “It’s going to be devastating. It’s going to be hard, very hard. I hope who ever gets her is going to be good to her because she is spoiled and she is very happy with us. Matt does a great job rubbing her and spends a lot of quality time with her.”
“We’ll budget our money a little bit too and makes some improvements at the farm, some fencing and some fixing up some barns and buy some equipment that is much needed. We’re not going overboard, I won’t be driving a Lexus tomorrow, I’ve got my pick up truck. My oldest daughter is starting college this year and I’m glad to be able to help her out. Most people don’t even understand the cost of running a farm and trying to run a breeding operation it takes quite a bit of money, but has been very rewarding for us but that doesn’t always happen and we know we have just been very fortunate.”
Matt Herbert is the son of Ackel Herbert who worked with Clarance Picou he decided to join Buff Bradley’s team. “I’ve known Buff since we were kids in Louisiana so I’ve known him forever. It’s a close relationship with Groupie Doll. I know that selling her is what has to be done, but it sucks though. Waking up at 3:30 a.m. is difficult enough, but then I think ‘Oh my God I’ve got to take care of Groupie Doll, I’ve got to get up. Tomorrow that’s not there and that will make it a little more difficult.” Jada and Matt nervously cracked jokes outside of her stall while waiting for the final call for the walk to the sales ring. You could sense the passionate love they all had for this mare that knew exactly where the finish line was and proved it in 11 of her 21 lifetime starts.
And let me tell you – those two have been with her for years and they are going to be balling.” As his eyes began to redden he looked at exercise rider Jada Schlenk and assistant Groupie Doll Eyes the Bidders trainer and Groupie Doll’s Perhaps Groupie Doll herself groom Matt Herbert who were sensed the separation as she reared up a few times while being walked standing guard on either side of her. There was a shared feeling of outside of the sales ring. As she stepped into the Keeeneland auction separation, anticipation and loss. arena it was as if Groupie Doll instinctively knew she had taken center Jada had spent her whole life on track with her father who trained and was a blacksmith, she galloped and trained herself. She started galloping for Buff and fell in love with Groupie Doll. “She’s great, she’s lovely, she’s perfect she’s amazing. Buff is great to work for he listens to us very well. Some people don’t want to listen to you, but Buff does. It’s really nice and it’s a once in a lifetime – what’s the chance of us getting another one? It’s been great working for him,
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stage and she shed any display of nervousness. With a brilliant copper penny shine her astute handlers put on her, she struck pose after pose and her as her bidding price rose. There were several bidders interested in the spirited sprinter. The gavel dropped at $3.1 million. That will fix a lot of fences and buy some new tractors at the Bradley’s farm, but it will never bring her
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Jada Schlenk and Matt Hebert with Groupie Doll back to her stall...or will it? Groupie Doll was purchased by Mandy Pope who has an elite broodmare band in Kentucky that now includes the recent FasigTipton sales topper Betterbetterbetter (Ire) a regally bred daughter of Galileo in foal to War Front that brought a final bid of $5.2 million. Last year she signed her world-record $10 million receipt for 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace. After being surrounded by the press for post-sale quotes, Buff Bradley approached her in the sales ring and crouched down to thank her for her purchase. The conversation continued...”and there
is the rub.” While she fully intended to retire her as a broodmare, she has returned Groupie Doll to the care of Buff, Jada and Matt to prepare her for the $400,000 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct - a race she lost by a nose vs. males last year to Stay Thirsty. Mandy Pope has had no previous connection to Bradley, but trusts him implicitly with her care and while she plans to breed her in 2014 has hinted the Cigar M ile may not be her last race. There is a $600,000 bonus this year to any Breeders’ Cup winner that takes the race on Saturday, November 30. We need to go to press with is edition, so as broadcaster Paul Harvey would say “Stay Tuned for The Rest of the Story.”
John C. Engelhardt has been an equine photographer and turf writer for 30 years and served as the President of the Turf Publicists of America. He hosts a weekly radio show on winningponies.com. For reprints of his images or future assignments you may contact him at longshot51@earthlink.net
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Nickers
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Horse Talk Around Town by Lisa Sheehy
Matching Manes Every rider has a special connection to their horse and sometimes they even start to look alike. Dry Art owner Sharla Hill and equine veterinarian – photographer Joe Lyman joined talents to prove this point. Sharla has always had a love affair with horses as she and her barrel horse, Andy, worked the circuit in her native state of Mississippi. But her vision to create imagery that expresses her passion for horses came to fruition when she moved to Kentucky and opened her hair salon, Dry Art, Blow Dry Bar. “My love of horses is also linked to my creative side and my love of hair. The concept
Sharla Hill with Retired Champion Barrel Horse Olena Chigger (Andy) owned by Marion Walgreen at Point of View Farm • Sharla’s mane: Color highlights with Dia Light 8.34 Styling Infinitum 4, Perfect Shimmer
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of the shoot is fairly simple, but extremely impactful! Coloring hair the color of horses, how much more true and beautiful could that be?” said Hill. The talented stylist team at Dry Art came together to create the looks using only L’Oreal Professional products. Sharla hopes everyone will realize that she has a deep-rooted passion for both hair and horses. Sharla says, “The two together in this creation is just beautiful to me. I hope you can share in the excitement and beauty of what we tried to do here.” To have the your mane look like your favorite horse contact Sharla Hill, 832.544.8334, DryArtLex.com
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Renee’ Brewer with Reserve World Champion Blue Dragon. Owned by Dancing Dragon Farm, Norfolk, VA. • Renee’s mane: Dry Art signature look “Bourbon Curls”. Color L’Oreal Dia Richessa 3.N. Styling - Infinium 3, True Grip.
Lindsey Bramlett with Modern Love. Owned by Barberry Lane LLC, Louisville, KY • Lindsey’s mane: Dry Art exclusive look “Place Your Bet”. Color - L’Oreal Professional Dia Light. Styling - Mythic Oil, Texture Lift-Extreme, Smooth Velours, True Grip, Infinium 2, and Perfect Shimmer.
Catherine Jaubert and Voodoo Magic AKA “Louie”, owned by the Kerr Family of Greenfield Farm • Catherine’s mane: color - L’Oreal Dia Richesse 9 BB Clear. Styling - Densite’, Mythic Oil Colour Formula, Freezing Spray
Caption: Emily Bramlett with Modern Love, a beautiful sorrel filly. Owned by Barberry Lane LLC, Louisville, KY • Emily’s mane: Dry Art’s signature style “ Big Blue Waves” soft loose, waves. Color - L’Oreal Hilight 8.01 and 8.34. Styling - Lift Extreme, Perfect Shimmer and Infinium 3.
Quinn Micheal Hill with his wife Sharla’s best friend “Andy” • Styling- Lumi Controle
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Bailey Morken with HS First Day, a beautiful chestnut, owned by Flint Farms, Fairmont WV. • Bailey’s mane: Dry Art’s signature look “Pony Club”. Color - L’oreal 8.34 Dia Light. Styling Gelee Cashmere and Freezing Hairspray
Renee’ Brewer with Reserve World Champion Blue Dragon. Owned by Dancing Dragon Farm, Norfolk, VA. • Renee’s mane: Dry Art signature look “Bourbon Curls”. Color - L’Oreal Dia Richessa 3.N. Styling - Infinium 3, True Grip.
Grace Lyman with strong and wise horse “Paiute”. Owned by Diana and Jaclyn Norberg. • Grace’s mane: On-Point Curls. Styling - Texture Freezing Spray and Perfect Shimmer.
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Jemma Smally is with show horse Midnight Annie, owned by Bonus Time Farm, Jacksonville, FL. • Jemma’s mane: Dry Art’s signature look “The Furlong” - long, sleek and straight. Color is L’Oreal Dia Light 4.0, Styling - Infinium 2 Hairspray and Perfect Shimmer
Faith Lyman with “Pauite” at Marion Walgreen’s Point of View Farm • Faith’s mane: Natural beauty! Styling Infinium 4 Hairspray and Perfect Shimmer
Joe Lyman is an equine veterinarian who came to Lexington in 2003. He lives with his wife and two girls, Grace and Faith, whose love of ballet inspired him to begin his photographic business, LymanDVM Photography. Clothing and accessories provided by Bella Rose
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