NEWS
Andrew Chesser
Posted: Thursday, June 24, 2010 10:00 AM
ANDREW CHESSER
Jockey Club
Many members of the inaugural THOROUGHBRED TIMES 40 Under 40 list were born into an interest in racing—or at least horses—through family trips to the track, growing up on a farm, trail riding with siblings, and various other equine pursuits. Not Andrew Chesser, who fell in love with racing while visiting Saratoga Springs, New York.
Chesser, 25, visited the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale of selected yearlings and happened to catch a son of Mr. Prospector being shown to potential buyers. Chesser followed the results of the sale and was stunned to see the colt he had viewed sold for $3-million.
“My ‘wow’ moment wasn’t at the racetrack, but at a yearling sale,” Chesser said. “I was blown away by the magnitude of what I had laid eyes on. Realizing I was that close to something so big blew me away.”
Chesser immediately began pursuing opportunities in racing, first working at Barry Schwartz’s Stonewall Farm in New York, but soon realizing that his new ambition would require relocation to Central Kentucky.
“It was a tremendous opportunity to work at Stonewall, but I knew if I wanted to develop, then I had to get to Central Kentucky,” said Chesser, who grew up in New York’s Westchester County. “Lexington is the epicenter of the breeding world. I wanted to be around the farms and the racetracks and get my foot in the door.”
He gained full-time employment at the Jockey Club after graduating in 2006 and has been just as proactive there as he was in New York and at the University of Kentucky, helping develop the registry’s free tattoo identification service.
Date of birth: August 5, 1984
Birthplace: Guadalajara, Mexico
Residence: Lexington
Title: Customer service coordinator
Company: Jockey Club
Education: Bachelor of Science in agricultural economics, University of Kentucky
Family: Single
Career: Worked at Stonewall Farm in New York, Woodlynn Farm in Lexington and Eaton Sales in Lexington; interned at The Blood-Horse and Jockey Club
Favorite horse: Turnofthecentury
What book are you currently reading? Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, by Anthony Bourdain
Biggest professional achievement: “Overseeing the redesign of the registry’s internal software and multiple enhancements of Interactive Registration.”
Biggest personal achievement: “Founding and presiding over the University of Kentucky Horse Racing Club, the first student-based organization at [the university] dedicated to college students primarily interested in the horse racing and breeding industry.”
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Posted by: Annette, Hyde Park, NY on June 25, 2010 at 04:22 PM
Congratulations Andrew! What an honor for you. I can at least say I "knew you when" LOL
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