Frank Brothers will join the Keeneland sales staff as a member of the yearling inspection team. The former trainer will replace Dr. Gary Lavin, who will be retiring after 16 years.
“We are delighted to have 'Frankie' on our inspection team,” said Keeneland’s director of sales, Geoffrey Russell, in a release. “He is widely recognized and respected for his keen horsemanship.”
Brothers began as an assistant in the early 1970s to Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg, and opened his own stable in 1980. He retired from training in March 2009.
Horses trained by Brothers included the 1991 Preakness (gr. I) and Belmont (gr. I) Stakes winner Hansel, who was a champion; 1997 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. II) winner Pulpit; 2005 Champagne (gr. I) and Hopeful (gr. I) Stakes winner First Samurai ; 2004 Ashland Stakes (gr. I) winner Madcap Escapade; 1998 Super Derby (gr. I) winner Arch; and 1996 Spinaway Stakes (gr. I) winner Oath.
“It’s an honor to be part of the Keeneland inspection team,” Brothers said in a statement. “Keeneland has been a very special place to me since I began racing here in the early 1970s. Having recently retired from a wonderful training career, being part of the Keeneland team will keep me around young horses, which I love, at the greatest place in the world for sales and racing.”
Keeneland conducts racing and sales in Central Kentucky.