When six-year-old Liz Crow first sat on a pony at the Potomac Horse Center, she never dreamed that 23 years later she would be managing a string of successful stakes horses through BSW Bloodstock. Now 29 and living in Lexington, Kentucky, Liz grew up in Bethesda, MD, showing on the local circuits and foxhunting with her mother Rebecca Byers (former Howard County-Iron Bridge member now also living in Kentucky). “My grandparents took me to the races when I was around 8 and I just loved everything about it,” Liz said.

Liz graduated from the University of Louisville Equine Business program with a B.S. in Business Administration. Her first job after college was as an Entry Clerk at Pimlico where she worked under Maryland Racing Secretary Georganne Hale. “She’s awesome and truly was my first mentor,” Liz stated. A year later, Liz moved back to Kentucky to gain experience as the Claims Clerk for Churchill Downs, and then worked as an assistant to top trainers Eoin Harty and Joanthan Sheppard. She joined BSW Bloodstock in December of 2015.

“I started in this industry with hands on experience and I think that is the most important thing for anyone looking to work in this business to do,” she said, adding “Work your way up from the bottom. Get as many internships and experiences as possible and don’t forget to spend time working with a trainer at a track. That is where you see the end result of what this sport is about.”

Most recently, Liz and BSW Bloodstock celebrated a big win with Monomoy Girl taking home the 2018 Kentucky Oaks earlier this month. “I bought her for Sol Kumin in 2016 as a yearling and she’d just been a phenomenal horse,” Liz explained. At the sales, Liz said she was really drawn to the filly’s personality and class. “She was so calm and professional and had an athletic shoulder and great hip. She just had the right combination of physical and mental attitude.”

Once a horse is purchased for an owner, as a Bloodstock Agent, Liz turns from scout to manager. “We are like the people who draft NFL players and then the general manager of a baseball team. We select the horses for their owners and then help the owners and trainers pick which races to run them in and when.”

At this year’s Black-Eyed Susan Day, Liz and the team at BSW Bloodstock will be cheering on two runners with Secret Message and Thewaylam. Both horses are expected to run in the Hilltop Stakes, which was won by another BSW Bloodstock-managed horse, Happy Mesa, in 2017.