Tomorrow’s Front Runners: Amplify Mentorship Graduate Matt Scull Paying It Forward With First Rodeo Racing

Wandering Eyes · Thursday at 03:07 PM

Tomorrow's Front Runners is a new TDN series spotlighting young people who got involved with horse racing through Amplify Horse Racing and are now pursuing careers in the industry. Amplify is a 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to amplifying education, mentorship and career opportunities for young people in the Thoroughbred industry.

For Matt Scull, it all began with the annual family reunion at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

At the age of five, it was just something to do. He'd take the $20 bill from his mom and share his picks with his uncle, who would place the $2 bets on his behalf. By the time he was a teenager, Scull's trips to the track had evolved from annual to more frequent, with a piqued interest in reading through past performances and increased confidence in his bets.

From there, it was a natural progression for Scull to evolve from simply being a guest at the track to becoming a true fan and devoted horseplayer. While pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Entrepreneurship at Clemson University, he was delving into books written by esteemed handicappers Andrew Beyer and Steve Davidowitz and keeping a notebook with his own picks and bets.

Scull had always been a fan of horse racing, and was progressively becoming a more invested handicapper, but once he graduated in the spring of 2020, he knew he wanted to become involved in the industry in a more substantial way. The question was: how?

That's when Scull came across Amplify Horse Racing's Mentorship Program, connecting youth and young adults interested in pursuing a career in the industry with experienced industry professionals who can offer guidance. The program not only opens the door for those on the outside looking for a way in, but also provides a safe and structured environment for mentees to connect with mentors both online and in-person.

A member of the inaugural group of mentees when the program was launched in August of 2021, Scull was matched with Shannon Castagnola, who was working as the Director of Marketing and Client Relations at Woodford Thoroughbreds at the time.

An open doorway to opportunity, and a hand to guide him through it, was all Scull needed to fully immerse himself in the Thoroughbred industry.

Matt-Scull-2_photo-credit-Next-Gen-Thoro

Matt Scull | Next-Gen Thoroughbred Photography

“I came into it from a gambling point of view and truly, my background is sports. I grew up playing football, basketball, baseball and for those [sports] at the professional level, if you want to go behind-the-scenes, you have to be super high-technically trained or be a billionaire. It made me realize that horse racing is super accessible, highlighted by the magic of physically being around a horse,” said Scull.

Making the most of his Amplify mentorship experience, Scull traveled from South Carolina to New York to experience Saratoga Race Course with Annise Montplaisir, Amplify's Co-Founder and Executive Director. Following that trip, he ventured out to Lexington, Ky. to shadow Castagnola during the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“I did one day with Shannon on the consignor side, and then one day with Conor Foley on the buyer side, so I got a really good holistic view of how a sale really works,” said Scull. “The closest I had been to horses [previously] was watching them in the paddock at Monmouth Park, and then suddenly I was on the backside at Saratoga and standing next to a yearling [at the sale]. I didn't even know what a yearling was before the mentorship.”

The experience was just as rewarding for Castagnola, now the Stallion Season and Public Sales Director at Airdrie Stud, who learned plenty from her own mentors throughout her time working in various facets of the industry.

“I love to share my knowledge, so I thought this was a really cool opportunity. I thought the best thing to do would be to go through and figure out what things we could really focus on and asking Matt, 'What do you want to learn? What do you want to know more about?' Then, we would dial into that. We would go through different topics and I gave him some assignments,” said Castagnola. “Matt had a natural desire to learn; it was almost like I couldn't feed him enough information. When you're getting feedback from somebody, it made me want to give him more information and educate more. A lot of this is about Matt as an individual. He was so interested and he took all of that exposure, those experiences, and made his next path. I provided information and exposure, but it was Matt who did the work.”

Following his completion of the three-month mentorship program, Scull spent a winter working hands-on with young Thoroughbreds at Nick Esler's Sandhurst Thoroughbreds in Ocala, Fla. It was another eye-opening experience for Scull, who hadn't previously worked that closely with horses, and one that solidified that his path in the industry wasn't necessarily on the farm or the backside.

“It taught me a lot about myself and hard work, and really how important the way you present yourself is. For example, your body language. The horses are going to accentuate what you give and give it back, and it's important to remember that with people too,” said Scull.

The realization led him to pursue an engineering job, which relocated him to Louisville, Ky. and more recently Austin, Texas, all the while balancing his passion for the sport by launching his very own partnership group, First Rodeo Racing.

“We chose the name 'First Rodeo Racing' because we want to be people's first introduction to horse racing. The first year, it was buying five percent of a filly. The second year we said, 'Okay, let's try claiming and buying.' In the beginning, it was my best friend from Louisville and my buddy Brian, who helps me run it. Last year, we had 29 partners, all friends of friends, and that was the moment I said, 'Okay, I really like doing this,'” said Scull. “It was a crazy experience with the first horse we claimed, having very good beginner's luck, and we've taken that lightning bolt and run with it. This year, we raised $150,000 from 129 people. [They're from] 28 states, with over 50 percent of us under 30, easily 70 percent have never owned a horse, and over half had never previously been to a racetrack.”

Matt-Scull-with-First-Rodeo-Racing-group

Matt Scull and First Rodeo Racing | Next-Gen Thoroughbred Photography

Now two years into the adventure with First Rodeo Racing, with a small group of racehorses owned outright or in partnerships with other groups based in a few states, Scull couldn't be more appreciative of the experiences he's had and the connections he's made along the way.

“The relationships that come with being around the horses, from introducing new people to helping you reach your goals in the industry, are very cool. The number of friends and people that I've met only through horse racing is unreal,” said Scull. “There are opportunities outside of working with the horses every day that are super fulfilling. There are so many different avenues where you can appreciate the sport and also love and respect it to bring it forward. Don't be afraid to ask questions, closed mouths don't get fed, and find the people that are willing to help you out.”

Though many career pathways exist, the stigma that the industry is 'hard to break into' or 'intimidating' unless one was born into it or already connected to it remains. However, programs like those offered by Amplify and the success of the program's graduates continue to bridge that gap between the sport and its next generation of successors.

“The common thing [I've heard] is that every single person wants to go back to the barn to meet the horses, so that's important for us. My whole goal and mission is to build the next generation of fans and owners while increasing the surface area of people that are exposed to horses, because that's where the magic happens,” said Scull. “Amplify is so good because it took me from being a casual fan to introducing me to this world, where the beauty of it is that you can choose your adventure. My biggest takeaway is that you don't have to be number one of number one to be in it. It was a great introduction.”

Learn more about the Amplify Mentorship Program.