UofL equine program alumni (l-r) William Van Meter, Megan Divine, Liz Crow and Jason Barkley during a panel discussion on networking at Equestricon 2018 in Louisville. Photo by Delaney Witbrod/Eclipse Sportswire/Equestricon

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. 

This photo of Monomoy Girl at Churchill Downs before the Breeders’ Cup was taken by Brianna Vitt, a photographer and student in UofL’s Equine Industry Program in the College of Business. Monomoy Girl was purchased for a client by program alum Liz Crow, a bloodstock agent.

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.

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Janet Cappiello covers student success for the Office of Communications and Marketing. She has more than 30 years’ experience in journalism, including working for The Associated Press and magazines such as Vegetarian Times and Sustainability: The Journal of Record. She has been at UofL since 2014.