This woman broke a Keeneland sales record decades in the making
Keeneland has sold thousands of Thoroughbreds at its auctions but on Jan. 15, Hip 1021 crossed a historic boundary: It was the first one announced in the sales ring by a woman.
Racing broadcaster Gabby Gaudet became the first female voice reading out the pedigrees to the potential buyers in 77 years.
And people noticed.
Chef and horse owner Bobby Flay tweeted to her: “Congratulations to @Gabby_Gaudet_ breaking that glass ceiling at @keenelandsales. The auction stand never sounded so good!”
Machmer Hall owner Carrie Brogden tweeted: “@keenelandsales HISTORY has been made!!!! ... I am not going to lie... this brought happy tears to my eyes.”
Race announcer Kurt Becker also tweeted a photo with her and a “well done!”
Keeneland president Bill Thomason said he walked up to the sales pavilion when one of the buyers came to find him. “He said he heard this voice and went running to front to see who was announcing ... and it was the best he’d heard,” Thomason said. “Just the excitement in his voice, on her professionalism.”
Which is not to knock longtime announcer John Henderson, Becker or Scott Hazelton, another broadcaster Keeneland recruited, all of whom were working the annual January Horses of All Ages Sale.
Keeneland is the big leagues, “the most important Thoroughbred stage in the world,” Thomason said. And the job isn’t one everyone can do, he said. “People have no idea the pressure of sitting on that stand in front of the world, with the responsibility to the consignors we’re selling the horse on behalf of. ... They’re not just reading a pedigree, they’re creating a vision of that horse. ... We’ve had people think they wanted to be an announcer and they froze.”
Not Gaudet.
She took the stand without a flicker of the nerves she was feeling in her voice.
Gaudet, who is the daughter of the late trainer Eddie Gaudet and is married to trainer Norm Casse, has been a racing analyst on TVG and co-host of “Keeneland Today,” produced by the track. She’s a familiar face and voice to racing fans and respected by those in the industry.
In November, Becker asked her if she was interested in trying announcing in the ring.
“He said, ‘I think you would be great and we’ll help support and prepare you,’” Gaudet said.
She shadowed the auction team Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to prepare, did a practice run with the team and then took the stand on Wednesday to read about 50 hips.
Although Gaudet had covered the Thoroughbred sales before, experiencing them from the auctioneer’s stand was completely different.
“There’s no better seat in the house, first of all. You really see how the bidding is going on, and it goes so fast. So much energy and adrenaline,” she said. “And it was a different feeling from television, which I do, so I was surprised about that.”
She and Thomason said that they expect she will be back, possibly for the April sale of 2-year-olds in training.
It’s a very high-profile step for Keeneland, and Thomason said he hopes it opens doors for the track as well as the racing industry as a whole, which he concedes still looks like an “old boys’ club” to many.
“Have things changed, I hope so. When you look under the hood at Keeneland, we’ve got women throughout this company, shaping the brand and the future of our sport,” he said. “Women are being developed in key roles, with decision-making responsibility. Young, talented passionate women, earning their way thru this business based on knowledge, experience and concern. I can’t tell you when it’s going to happen, but there are no limitations. Will there be somebody at the top of this company? I can tell you there’s nothing to stop a women being head of this company.”
And having more women in key roles could help the industry attract a more diverse fan base at a time when it needs it more than ever.
Gaudet hopes that other women will be inspired to get into the business, just as she was inspired by broadcasting trailblazers like pioneering sports broadcaster Charlsie Cantey and ESPN broadcaster Jeannine Edwards.
“I hope that this at least opens the eyes of women ... to something they didn’t know they could do before,” she said. “In my experience if I wanted to do something there have been men and women supporting me doing it. It’s up to the women to ask.”
