With the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs Nov. 2-3, the University of Louisville’s Equine Industry Program had a second chance this year to celebrate the industry in its own backyard.
Among the Breeders’ Cup Festival Week activities where UofL’s program was on display for an international audience was Equestricon, an equine convention held Oct. 29-30 at the Kentucky International Convention Center. The event is a conference, trade show and fan festival all in one, first held last year in Saratoga Springs, New York.
On the first day of EQCON18, four equine program alumni participated in a panel discussion on networking and mentoring. Megan Divine, a television personality and handicapper, emceed the event that included trainers Jason Barkley and William Van Meter, and bloodstock agent Liz Crow. (Fun fact: Crow is the bloodstock agent who purchased eventual 2018 Kentucky Oaks winner Monomoy Girl, who won Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Longines Distaff race, a competition for the best female dirt horses.)
The equine program had a booth at Equestricon and the program’s new director, Sean Beirne, attended along with Terri Burch, who had been interim director since the death of Tim Capps in 2017. Burch, who has been with the EIP since it was founded in 1986, was profiled earlier this year by EIP alum Chelsea Hackbarth for the Paulick Report website.
