For Sale!

For the next two weeks Matt will be super busy here...

No...he won't be hitting the books, but he will be at the 2011 Keeneland Yearling Sales.  These books contain listings of over 4,000 yearling horses that will be sold here in Lexington over the next two weeks.  As a vet, it's his job to take x-rays of these horses, make sure they are healthy etc.  Many of the 4,000 horses should sell for at least $100,000 or more (and they've never even set foot on the racetrack yet)!!!  Towards the end (horses listed in books 4-6) the prices will drop some, but overall- still way out of my price range.   Last night, I was able to go to the sale with him... it was very cool.  Let me preface these next pictures with these statements:
    *This was quite the social event of the year
    *There were dignitaries, sheiks, celebrities and such at this event
    *No one was taking pictures or bothering these upperclass people, so therefore, I had to discreetly use my phone to take pics!  This being said, the light was terrible, so the pics aren't great, but hopefully you can get a good idea....


The horses start their sale journey here.  This is an outdoor pen where handlers walk them around for people to look at and preview before entering the sale ring.  As you can see there are TONS of people- again, this is not just a place for the upperclass to purchase horses,but a huge social event for the year.  Many men were in suits, women in cocktail dresses, lots of drinks and a wide variety of food being served and no kids running around for sure!



If you missed the horses being walked around outside, you can then see them in this ring.  This is an indoor ring and I prefer it to the outdoor ring.  It was still extremely crowded, but you could avoid the smoking.  This event is for people all over the world to attend and smoking in many cultures is still the thing to do... I am not used to it at all, so having an indoor ring was very nice!

Finally, horses are led to the sale ring.  As you can see, not all seats in this area are full.  They are reserved for actual buyers.  You can't just go sit and observe, there is a glass window around the area for observers like us who could never afford such horses! 

Once a horse is purchased the work begins for Matt (if the buyer wants).  The farms that Matt does work for around here have about 400 horses in the sale.  They do the work mostly for those 400 horses.  They are not the only vets around, since some of the higher ups prefer to bring their own vet.  If I were a Sheik of the Arab Emirates I'd bring my own vet too- I mean, really, what is one extra person on my private jet?!? 

I did run into Chef Bobby Flay last night!  That was very exciting for me, and I did try to take a picture, but the lighting was terrible and he kept turning around.  He was intently looking at several horses in the outdoor ring, so maybe there is still a chance for Matt to give his professional opinion to him! 

Last night, the high horse of the night sold for $1.2M.  The best horses sell first, so tonight should be another big night and the crowds should be huge again.  I won't go each night, just wanted to see what all the fuss was about... and see why on earth Matt has to be there each day from 6a-7p.  I should be thankful, because the partners of the clinic stay until 11p or later, but they were gracious and let Matt and 2 other guys head out early, last night anyways.. :)  It will be a long two weeks.... but at least it's not every week!