INTERVIEW WITH MR. FRANCIS VANLANGENDONCK

BY MR. LINDON YARDE

LY: How important are the purchases by Barbadian horse owners to the Ocala Breeders Sales Company?

FV: “Oh it’s very important to the OBSC, we see ourselves as helping to develop your industry with the sales of good quality horses which in turn helps us to grow as well.” ‘

LY: What role does sponsorship of the OBSC play in your program?’

FV: “This has been seven years of sponsorship and we see this as part of our contribution, growth and development not only of horse racing here, but the friendship we’ve built and we will proudly continue our sponsorship of this race.”

LY: What role does OBSC see itself playing in the development of the racing in Barbados?

FV: “We see ourselves as a marketing tool, where we seek to send only the finest horses over to your country; horses well bred and most importantly sound horses, because the better you do over here, the better Ocala does.”

LY: What are the benefits if any that Barbadians can get by purchasing from Ocala?

FV: “You will certainly benefit with expense for a start, for example it cheaper to ship from Ocala to Barbados than from the UK here, and you spend less time in quarantine, so that allows you more spending power for your purchases.”

LY: How big is the Ocala operation in the breeding industry worldwide?

FV: “We are becoming larger and larger, about 90% of the best two-year trainers in America come to Ocala and people are coming from all over the world for this industry.”

LY: Finally, what are your thoughts of the island, its people and the racing?

FV: “It’s our first visit to the Barbados, my wife and I we did some research on your country and we had no idea this is what we were in for. We've enjoyed this trip tremendously, we simply had no idea. It’s a fabulous place; the people are very friendly and the hospitality extended by the turf club has been awesome. As for the racing, it’s of a very high quality, the horsemanship is very good, the horses are sound, the riding is competitive and incredibly, win or lose there’s always a smile. It’s just tremendous, the best trip we’ve ever had.”