Shannon Castagnola

I found myself in horse heaven after my family moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where I currently reside, when I was eight. From that moment on, life was about Saturday morning riding lessons, showing at local county fairgrounds, and during college working as a riding instructor at a local summer day camp.

In the Spring of ’99 I graduated from UK with a BS in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Political Science. That September I had the opportunity to show yearlings for Taylor Made Sales Agency at the Keeneland sale. I fell passionately in love with the scene. I loved the atmosphere, I loved the horses and I loved the cast of human characters involved. I was lucky enough to be hired by Taylor Made after the sale. I started off working in research, communication and client service. I did this for about two years and then went into a Private Sales position where I was responsible for breeding contracts, bills of sale, and collecting commissions from private sales transactions. In the 8.5 years I was at Taylor Made, I met my husband Steve, had a daughter, was pregnant for a second time and had gained an incredible education in the horse industry.

I was well aware of West Point Thoroughbreds from my time working the horse sales. Fortune was definitely on my side as WPT happened to be looking for sales support when I was looking for a new position with a little more flexibility to keep up with my growing and changing family. I started for West Point in August of 2008.

I have a variety of duties that center around customer service. I'm in touch with each member of our team through the week as I may be making arrangements at the track in New York, Kentucky, Florida, California, etc. You may hear from me when I'm planning an event we are having for Breeders' Cup or Derby. You'll definitely hear from me if we are running in a race like Preakness or Queen's Plate as I will assist you with seat choices and recommendations for your trip. I may be requesting win photo orders from you or updating our Facebook page. You can find me at the track in Kentucky where my “southern hospitality” will be evident as I help you navigate Keeneland or Churchill Downs. I can't control the race outcome and I can't control the weather, but I'll sure try to make sure you have a great experience on race day and as a partner in WPT.