Hi, my name is Sydney Richmond!
This website is meant to showcase the experiences that have shaped my foundation with horses and how it’s guiding my next steps in the Thoroughbred racing industry. My involvement in horse racing started when I was a kid riding OTTBs from Presque Isle Downs & Casino in my hometown, Erie PA. My strong riding ability afforded me a scholarship to attend the Grier School, an all girls boarding school in central PA, where I rode horses competitively from 8th grade until I graduated in 2022. Since being a student at the University of Kentucky, I’ve been involve in various facets of the horse racing industry, including sales, yearling prep, grooming and hot walking on the racetrack, syndication, breeding, and aftercare. Additionally, I have promoted the growth of the horse racing industry through my role as President of the Horse Racing Club at the University of Kentucky. I’m looking forward to a career in the horse racing industry, specifically in equine law, and very excited at the prospect of continuing my professional development with Godolphin Flying Start!
Why horses?
My story in the horse racing industry didn’t begin with a career plan, it began with a wish, and a pony named Mr. Moe.
When I was four years old, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Severe leg neuropathy caused from rigorous therapies hindered my mobility. Although doctors had been able to save my life, my grandmother, a lifelong horsewoman, was convinced that horses could save my legs. The moment I was healthy enough, she brought me to the barn. Through slow progress, I was able to develop my balance, and regain full functional ability in my legs. Following my sister’s second diagnoses of the same non-genetic cancer that I had previously been diagnosed with, I was able to find hope through the kindness of the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Make-a-Wish made my dreams come true by bringing Mr. Moe into my life (pictured on the bottom left). He had not only brought light into the darkest hours of my sister’s relapse, but also played a crucial role in my physical rehabilitation, and the start of what has become my lifelong passion and greatest adventure.
