For horses, determination is an innate characteristic.
“It’s pretty magical when you watch a newborn foal stand for the first time 10 to 15 minutes after being born,” Shannon Bishop Arvin said. “If that doesn’t teach you about determination, then I don’t know what does.”
Arvin knows a thing or two about both determination and horses. In July, she was unanimously appointed by the Keeneland Trustees in Lexington as the successor of Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason, who announced his retirement after a decade with the Keeneland Association that included eight years at the helm of the global racing and sales company.
Arvin, as a partner with law firm Stoll Keenon Ogden, has served as corporate counsel to Keeneland since 2008 and as secretary and advisory member of Keeneland’s board of directors since 2015. She will serve as the incoming president-elect beginning Sept. 1 and will officially transition to president and CEO on Jan. 1, 2021. Arvin becomes Keeneland’s eighth president and the first woman to serve in that position. She has said she is “humbled and grateful for the opportunity.”
Arvin’s association with Thoroughbred racing and with Keeneland began much earlier than 2008. The Lexington native called horses “majestic.”
“There isn’t an animal alive that’s as beautiful as a horse,” she said. “I took living around horses for granted as a child. Every Sunday, we had lunch at my great-grandfather’s farm on Military Pike. It was not a horse farm, but it was right across from a horse farm. I was just used to that beautiful green space.”
Through SKO’s Lexington office, where she has practiced since 2002 and gained respect for her work in the equine industry, Arvin has represented Thoroughbred owners and prominent industry organizations in Kentucky and around the world. She also serves on the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Foundation Board of Directors and is a member of The Jockey Club.
Arvin is secretary of Lexington-based tour company Horse Country, director of Kentucky Bank, director of The Lexington School, and chair and director of Bluegrass Care Navigators (formerly Hospice of the Bluegrass). She also is past president of the Thoroughbred Club of America.
She studied political science and international studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, graduating with a bachelor’s degree. She graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2002.
Arvin and her husband, Will, have two daughters, Bishop and McCutchen. She enjoys teaching the girls about horses and shared a unique experience with them last spring when they witnessed a foal being born.
“I do live on a farm now, which I love,” she noted. “And I love that opportunity for my children to be able to see the horses. My favorite time of the year is foaling season, but that’s because I’m not a night watchman. There’s nothing like watching a foal being born. This past year was one of the times that it was the most marked for me, maybe because my kids are at the age where they really got it.”
Arvin was schooled in the Thoroughbred industry by her family. Her grandfather, W.T. “Bish” Bishop, was the first general manager of Keeneland when the track opened in 1936. Her father, the late William T. “Buddy” Bishop III, grew up at Keeneland, living in an apartment next to the clubhouse. Buddy Bishop’s lifelong service to Keeneland included positions as director, secretary, trustee and counsel.
Arvin’s experiences at Keeneland also began as a kid, when she worked in the sales office in high school.
“I helped file catalogs and cards and worked the switchboard during the summer and during sales,” she said. “In the kitchen, I always remember while working here, there were graham crackers and peanut butter as a snack. They still have that in the kitchen.”
She noted that Keeneland didn’t always boast an atmosphere that was as family friendly as it is today, explaining that the addition of Sunday racing brought out more families and that, when she was growing up, “Saturday racing was kind of an adult day.”
When a full-time career called, she didn’t stray far from those roots, even in the legal profession.
“[Working in the equine industry] definitely starts and ends with horses,” she said. “But it’s also the relationships. This is such a relationship business, and this sport draws interesting people. One day you can be on the phone with Ireland, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Australia. It’s such an international business. And my friends have been my clients, and my clients have been my friends. Those relationships definitely led me to Keeneland and this role.”
Leadership at Keeneland was already well aware of her work when Thomason’s retirement was announced.
“I feel privileged to work alongside people who share a commitment to always put the best interest of the horse first and to exceed our customers’ expectations,” Thomason said in a prepared statement. “Keeneland was founded upon these principles, which continue to guide our operations to this day. Shannon’s life and work experiences intertwine with that philosophy, and I look forward to her leadership of Keeneland for years to come.”
The years to come will start with the challenging one that is 2020. Arvin assumes responsibility at a time when Keeneland is experiencing a massive drop in the number of fans out of necessity due to COVID-19. Determination will again be the name of the game.
Thomason navigated Keeneland through a decade of substantial growth and change in the Thoroughbred industry. Keeneland achieved strong spring and fall meet attendance and handle, highlighted by the more than $25 million wagered on last year’s Toyota Blue Grass Day and the more than $160 million wagered during the 2019 fall meet. The Shadwell Turf Mile and Toyota Blue Grass Stakes’ purses were elevated to $1 million.
On the sales front, Keeneland further expanded its global outreach, resulting in gross sales of more than $627 million last year; launched the Keeneland Digital Sales Ring, the first online Thoroughbred auction in North America; and undertook a multimillion-dollar renovation of the barn area to better showcase offerings for Keeneland auctions.
Keeneland successfully hosted the 2015 Breeders’ Cup, which generated a nearly $70 million economic impact for Lexington, and Thomason negotiated the event’s return to Keeneland in 2020.
Arvin said that she and Thomason aim to steer Keeneland back to that level of achievement “delicately” once the pandemic allows.
“I’m working this fall with Bill still at the helm through what we know is going to be a really challenging fall, unlike any other we’ve ever seen,” she said. “Paramount to Keeneland, along with its openness, is responsibility. We work responsibly with guests, consignors, employees, people on tour, buyers, race fans and athletes, and we will continue to work closely with public health officials.”
Arvin said they will continually work through enhanced ways for guests to enjoy Keeneland at home. She is hopeful the track can host a fall meet in an altered manner.
“The moment that has felt the most surreal to me, maybe since the pandemic began, was during our July meet,” Arvin said. “The biggest crowd we had on any given day was 600 people. We can’t wait for the crowds to be back … And it’s just so important to our industry to have racing.”
In addition to the crowds during a race meet, visitors can enjoy Keeneland throughout the year for its beauty, welcoming atmosphere and popular events.
“It’s such a unique place,” Arvin said. “Everyone in our industry feels some sort of ownership and pride in Keeneland, which we love. We have been very open. We’ve got 1,000 acres, and we welcome people on our grounds. When we’re not in a pandemic, we have lots of dog walkers and other guests enjoying the property. I think those things endear Keeneland to the community. And it acts with integrity as an organization and does the right thing.”
Keeneland has important ties to central Kentucky’s heritage, economy and culture. Over its 80-plus-year history, it has benefited the local community and the horse industry while staying laser focused on advancing the safety and integrity of the sport for both human and equine athletes.
In light of COVID-19, that continues with business as usual behind the scenes as trainers and grooms care for the horses with a lot more temperature checks and safety precautions.
“I have so much respect for Bill and have very big shoes to fill,” Arvin said. “I’ve worked with Bill for as long as I was a lawyer. He has such a passion for Keeneland. You’d be hard pressed to find a kinder and harder-working man with such integrity. That integrity is such a huge part of the fabric of Keeneland and his legacy there. He does the right thing for the right reasons even when that’s not easy. I will work to continue to lead Keeneland with that level of integrity.”
Though she leaves behind a beloved and storied legal career, Arvin is looking forward to a new rhythm in her professional life.
“I practiced law for 18 years, and I’ve managed my time in six-minute increments for a long time, so I’m looking forward to not doing that anymore,” she said. “It is such a unique opportunity to lead an organization like this. There is not a place in the world like Keeneland.”