Westwind Farm Continues Keeneland Tradition

For over 50 years, members of the Harris family have been making the 150-mile trek across Kentucky to offer its yearlings at the Keeneland September sale. Through its Bowling Green-based Bettersworth Westwind Farm consignment, brothers Mike, Brent and Kevin Harris, along with Mike's sons Justin and Tyler, will offer 16 yearlings starting with four Book 2 offerings Friday.
“Our grandfather, J.R. Bettersworth, was the first one in the Thoroughbred business,” Brent Harris explained as he, Justin and Tyler took turns showing yearlings to a variety of trainers and pinhookers Thursday morning at barn 38. “That was probably in the late 60s. We've been selling at Keeneland September for 51 years now.”
The 1,000-acre farm, located about an hour north of Nashville, has been in the family for more than 100 years and is leased for farming except for the 300 acres maintained for the Thoroughbred breeding operation.
Bettersworth, a well-known local businessman and farmer, started in the horse business with Saddlebreds before shifting to Thoroughbreds in the mid-1960s. He bred 1976 champion sprinter My Juliet.
The family currently has a broodmare band of about 25 head, including Livermore Leslie (Mt. Livermore), dam of three-time Grade I winner Sweet Reason (Street Sense), and for the most part offers its complete crop at Keeneland September every year.
“We only race if we can't get one sold,” Brent explained. “We are breeding specifically to sell.”
In an era of large full-service sales companies, the Harris family is hands on from start to finish.
“I do all the driving from Bowling Green,” Brent said of the 2 1/2-hour trek to Lexington. “I drive up, breed the mare and turn around and drive back home. And I drive them to the sales–we'll have seven ship in Sunday.”
Brent, 58, admitted working on his family's farm wasn't always his plan.
“I played baseball in college and I wanted to be a baseball coach,” he recalled. “But my grandfather got sick and needed someone to live with him and care for him, so I did that. And once I did that, I was like, 'Why would I ever want to leave the farm?'”
Brent's older brother Mike, who is the farm manager, was also called to help out the family when his uncle was killed in an accident in the late 1970s.
“My brother Mike had just gotten out of college when our uncle was killed when a horse jumped on him as they were loading him on a van,” Brent said. “Mike had to take over and help out. I don't know if he did it by choice or if that was just the circumstances. But I think we all do it by choice now, because who wouldn't want to work with horses every day?”
Among its Book 2 offerings, Bettersworth Westwind will send hip 735, a colt by Orb, through the sales ring Friday at Keeneland. The yearling is out of multiple stakes winner Barbette (High Yield), a half-sister to graded stakes winner Diamond on the Run (Kris S.).
“Our Orb colt is a nice colt,” Brent said. “He's a big, attractive colt.”
Also on offer is hip 621, a colt by English Channel who is out of Schauncie (Menifee), a daughter of graded stakes winner Bold Wench (Bold Forbes).
“He is a big, stout-bodied colt,” Harris described.
The farm's most famous recent graduate is Sweet Reason, who captured the 2013 GI Spinaway S. and 2014 GI Test S. and GI Acorn S. She was a $185,000 September graduate in 2012 and sold for $2.7 million at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale. Her dam, the 24-year-old Livermore Leslie, who was purchased by Westwind Farm for $26,000 at the 2007 Keeneland January sale, produced a full-brother to Sweet Reason this spring and is currently in foal to Union Rags.
Brent Harris admitted working with his family isn't always easy, but it's always gratifying.
“At times it is enjoyable,” he laughed. “But sometimes it's not. Because one of us has to be the boss and sometimes the rest of us don't like it. But when we get to share the successes together, it's really special.”