The National Steeplechase Association’s Promotion and Growth Task Force will stage its first annual Owner Symposium and Marketplace Auction at Shawan Downs in Hunt Valley, Md., on April 11 and 12.
“We are very excited about this event and the many benefits that it will provide to current owners and those who may want to become a jump-racing horse owner,” said Task Force Chair Bill Price. This unique event is at the core of the Task Force’s mission to maintain our ownership base and to encourage new owners to become part of an exciting sport.”
Price said he expected wide participation from the sport’s owners. A recent Promotion and Growth survey of current owners found more than 80% support for some combination of the Symposium and Marketplace Auction. He encouraged all owners to bring along a potential owner as a guest.
Charles C. Fenwick Jr., a task force member and Shawan’s race chairman, heads the committee putting together the Symposium and Marketplace Auction.
The symposium portion of the event will fill the morning of Sunday, April 12. “We welcome the opportunity to help our current owners and future owners to hone their skills,” Fenwick said. “We have boundless resources in the jump-racing community to help all owners, and we will call upon them to help their fellow owners and prospective owners through the symposium sessions.”
Topics will include the many attractions of jump racing, what owners should expect from their trainers, and in turn what trainers should provide to their owners.
The marketplace auction, to be held after a catered lunch, will be a unique feature of the event. The sale of 15 to 25 horses is anticipated, and all will be approved by a panel of three experts. Many of the horses will be ready to run, and prospective buyers will have the opportunity to watch the sale horses school over either hurdles or timber fences.
The auction brings together buyer and seller, and the transactions will be between them, without an intermediary sales company. No entry fees will be charged, but a 5% donation to the National Steeplechase Foundation will be deducted from the seller’s proceeds.
A detailed sales catalog will be developed, and it will be available both in print and online. The information will include a pedigree, race record, and biographies of the horses and many NSA-licensed trainers.
Details of the Owner Symposium and Marketplace Auction will be announced as they become available.