UofL's Equine Industry Program

Equine
Industry
Program

UNIVERSITY of LOUISVILLE

College of Business

When it comes to horses, UofL means business...

New Mexico racetrack executive to deliver University of Louisville’s 2007 Warner L. Jones, Jr. Memorial Lecture

Bruce Rimbo, president of Ruidoso Downs Race Track in New Mexico, home of one the world’s richest Quarter Horse races, will deliver the 2007 Warner L. Jones, Jr. Memorial Lecture on the Business of Racing, Saturday, May 12 at the University of Louisville.

Rimbo, whose topic will be “Sprint Racing in Kentucky: Past, Present and Future,” is a partner in the group that has applied for a new track license in London, Kentucky.

Ruidoso Downs is located in south central New Mexico, midway between Albuquerque and El Paso, Texas. Racing at the mountain desert track takes place annually from Memorial Day to Labor Day, culminating with the $2 million All-American Futurity. Since 1999, the track has also offered patrons slot machine gaming, and its casino operations paid out more than $100 million to customers in 2006.

Sponsored each spring by the University of Louisville’s Equine Industry Program, the Jones lecture brings annually to Louisville a renowned expert on a cutting-edge aspect of the pari-mutuel horse racing industry. Previous distinguished Jones lecturers have included such industry luminaries as Dennis Swanson, Tom Aronson, Cot Campbell, Tim Smith, Brereton Jones, Jim Squires and Basil de Vito.

The lecture series is named for the late Warner L. Jones, Jr., chairman of Churchill Downs from 1984 to 1994 and among the nation’s most prominent breeders. The owner of Hermitage Farm at Goshen, Jones bred 131 stakes winners, and remains to this day the only Thoroughbred breeder/owner to breed and/or sell winners of the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks and a major Breeders’ Cup race.

Rimbo will speak at 10:30 a.m. in the Horn Auditorium in the College of Business. The program is free, but seating is limited. Parking is available in the adjacent Speed Museum garage. For directions to the College of Business or Horn Auditorium, or more information about the event, call Alisha Ward with the Equine Industry Program at (502) 852-7617.

There is no educational opportunity in North America quite like the Equine Industry Program offered by the University of Louisville's College of Business (right). For students aimed at careers involving the business of horses, few degrees are as practical. Yet, because the curriculum demands more than merely a love of horses, this program is not suited for all students. Precisely because academic standards are high, UofL has attracted a diverse and experienced faculty interested in economic research and industry management. Students must be capable and motivated. During 2005, EIP sponsored its fourth International Equine Industry Program Academic Conference which brought horse racing scholars together from throughout the world.

Students enrolled in equine business gain their foundation in business disciplines from one of the nation's top business colleges. In addition, they take an entire core (30+ hours) of specialized courses, each related directly to the business of horses. Classroom attendance is supplemented by trips, guest lecturers and internships at tracks (Churchill Downs, at left below, is but a mile away), Bluegrass breeding farms (an example at left), bloodstock agents, associations, even banks. Students from southeastern states (Maryland to Texas) may qualify for in-state Kentucky tuition rates through the "Academic Common Market.".

At UofL, students can achieve an AACSB-accredited UNDERGRADUATE bachelor's degree in business administration with a major in equine, or combine it with accountancy, computer information, finance, management or marketing for a double business concentration. Not only is UofL's business college one of fewer than 300 fully accredited, but it has been ranked among the top ten among all in North America for entrepreneurship. Those who already have degrees in other fields, from agriculture to equitation, can earn a POSTGRADUATE certificate in equine business by spending one year (if qualified) taking the entire curriculum of UofL's specialized courses related to the business of horses.

Both the undergraduate BS degree and also the post-graduate certificate prepare students ideally for business or management careers in different aspects of the industry. Its commitment to the most qualified faculty, and to economic research that advances the industry, has earned the University of Louisville a worldwide reputation, and an increasingly important leadership role. There are no barns or horses on the campus, so that students who wish to study animal science or equitation for college credit should not apply here. But for those interested in the business of horses, UofL can be a great choice. Those who teach specialized equine courses at UofL include Richard W. Wilcke, director, Terri J. Burch, and Timothy T. Capps. While there are no university barns, there are equine student organizations, and, most important, opportunities for our graduates.

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