Racing's Future: Sidney Boots

"Racing’s Future" is a Q&A series in which I aspire to help everyone in the industry. In addition to shining a spotlight on youth who plan to have a career in horse racing, I hope that the opinions expressed in their responses will offer industry leaders insight into what a younger audience believes the sport should improve upon.

Meet Sidney Boots

Sidney Boots, a 19-year-old from Alexandria, Kentucky, has been a fan of racing her entire life. She currently works as a BETologist at Keeneland and is an officer in the University of Kentucky’s Horse Racing Club. She is an Agricultural Education major at the University of Kentucky and hopes to use that degree to work as an advocate for the racing industry in the future.

Growing up, I was always a fan of racing. I went to the track with my mom and looked forward to the Triple Crown races every year. As I got older and was better able to appreciate racing, I started following the Derby trail every year and started learning how to handicap better. I have loved racing my entire life, but it was really when I started handicapping and following racing more in my early teens that I became truly passionate about the sport.

What do you love about horse racing?

I want to be cheap and say I love everything about racing because I truly adore it, but if I had to pick a favorite couple parts I think it would be the athlete and the tradition. Horses are inherently graceful, but when they are on a track doing what they love – and you can tell they love it – it’s perfection. There is nothing more beautiful. I don’t care if I’m watching the Breeder’s Cup Classic or a claiming race; if there is a horse that crosses the finish line and knows he won, it gets me. The tradition in racing is something I also really like. Kentucky is a place that prides itself in its horses and I have always been someone who has loved Kentucky with my whole heart. I was born here and I hope to spend the rest of my life here. My love of horse racing fits well with my love of Kentucky.

4.   Who are some of the people you admire in the industry and why?

On a smaller scale, I really admire my supervisors at Keeneland (Jonathan Fowler and Jennifer Bayer). I think the racing industry is somewhat intimidating when it comes to people entering it, but my bosses (both younger people with backgrounds similar to my own) really showed me that getting in the industry is possible. They have shown me that you need to take opportunities to learn about the industry and that you always need to persevere and the rest will fall into place.

Some of the well-known people I admire in the industry are Shug McGaughey and Dale Romans. They are trainers I grew up learning about and now I have the chance to watch their horses run.

What aspects of horse racing do you wish you knew more about?

I would love to learn more about every aspect of racing because there is so much I don’t know. If I had to pick one facet of racing to learn about, I think it would be training. I have always had access to pedigrees and conformation and past performances to learn from, but training horses to race isn’t something that has been very accessible to me in the past.

What racetracks have you been to?

I have been to Keeneland, Turfway, River Downs (Belterra), Arlington Park, Pimlico, and Churchill Downs.

What is your favorite racetrack? Why?

I love Keeneland because I work there, but some of my earliest memories of racing take place at River Downs (Belterra). It was the track I always went to with my mom. I remember how excited I was when I was allowed to go with her, what I would eat, questions I would ask her about the horses. It’s a special place to me because of that, even if I prefer Keeneland now.

Of the racetracks you have not been to, which one do you want to visit most?

I definitely have a note on my phone that is my track bucket list, but right now number one is Belmont (especially for the Belmont) because then I will have been to every Triple Crown race.

What are your favorite moments in your “horse racing life” thus far?

My favorite horse racing memory so far would be working the Breeder’s Cup at Keeneland this fall. Obviously some very awesome things happened in those two days, but my favorite thing that happened was getting to be a few feet away from Larry Jones as he watched the Distaff. There was a camera crew and everything and I was just there with it all. It was neat.

Who are your favorite racehorses of your lifetime? Before your lifetime?

I have a special spot in my heart for American Pharoah because this was the first year I went to the Kentucky Derby and he was my pick. His being a Triple Crown winner just makes him more special. I loved Barbaro because it was a meaningful, albeit sad, story that got me invested in racing. I liked The Pamplemousse when he ran (I was young and he was a neat color). Another horse I like is a horse named Street Chief who won a race my coworkers and I made a big deal about during the Fall 2015 Keeneland meet. It was an allowance race but it was a fun joke with us all.

Before my time, I love learning about the greats like Secretariat and Man O War. It’s a little cliché but it’s amazing horses like these who bring the public back to racing.

If you could change something about the industry, what would you change?

I think a change I would make to racing would be making it more open. I have a lot of friends who are not knowledgeable about racing, and one reason they aren’t interested in learning more is because it’s a little intimidating. I totally get it; when I think about getting interested in racing without the guidance of my mom, I know it would be very difficult.

What do you think is preventing horse racing from being a more popular sport?

I think a big factor in horse racing not being more popular are negative perceptions of the industry. There is a fair bit of false information circulating about horse racing, regarding anything from equipment use to accidents on the track. People believe these things to be true and it turns potential fans off of the sport. Advocating for the industry is something very important to me because I know we could attract more fans by making people more aware.

What do you think is the most common misconception about horse racing?

I think it’s a common answer but the most common misconception is anything regarding the welfare (or lack there of) of the animal. With anything there are extremes that make the stereotypes, I see it a lot with the agriculture industry as well. But the truth of this is that the minority does not represent the majority of horses that are extremely well taken care of.

How would you convince someone who is not an avid follower of horse racing to begin following the sport?

The best tool that we have in getting new fans interested is success. I guarantee that more people will watch the Kentucky Derby this year because we had a Triple Crown winner the previous year. The people of Lexington became automatically more interested in racing because the Breeder’s Cup was here. I think it is essential that we give new fans something to be excited about, to brag about, etc., anything that gives them a reason to keep coming back.

What career do you plan to pursue in the horse racing industry?

My dream career in the industry would be something to do with marketing or education. My goal is to advocate for the sport and I want to have a job that helps me reach this goal.

How are you currently contributing to the horse racing industry?

I currently work as a BETologist at Keeneland. It has been the absolute best experience of my life and I am so grateful for the opportunity to educate people about something I love. I also work in the business center at Keeneland during the sales; it’s a great way for me to meet people I have admired my entire life. Finally, I am an officer in UK’s Horse Racing Club.

What is one thing you aspire to personally accomplish someday in the horse racing industry?

I would love to have a race named after me or a horse I’ve owned, but realistically my goals for horse racing are just to get people interested. I spend every day thinking about horse racing and because of that I spend every day happy. I know not every person is going to love it as much as I do, but if I can just inspire a small group of people to become invested in the industry I would be very happy.