Managing Director
E-mail: ogentry@gainesgentry.com
Born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1966, Olin Gentry is a fourth generation horseman. His grandfather and namesake, Olin Gentry, impacted the modern American Thoroughbred industry perhaps more than any individual in the 20th century through his breeding decisions on behalf of some of the most influential racing stables of the American turf.
As a young boy, Gentry's grandfather began imparting the knowledge he had accumulated over a lifetime to his young grandson. His education included understanding pedigrees and the dynamics of how certain bloodlines worked well together and the general principles of mating a mare to create the best chance for a successful offspring. Olin learned what to look for in a young racehorse--the basic rules of conformation and what to seek out and avoid concerning conformational characteristics in horses. In 1976, at the age of nine he began showing yearling for his father's consignment at the Keeneland July yearling sales and began investing along side his father with his hourly wages earned throughout his summer employment. Through his development years, he worked in every position from the ground up on the breeding farm. In 1985, Gentry personally oversaw the development and subsequent sale of a $7,000,000 yearling colt from his father's consignment, the fifth highest-priced yearling ever sold at the time. Before that, Gentry, acting on his own behalf as agent for Ron McAnally, had begun buying mares at public auction in 1982 as a 15 year old.
After attending the University of Kentucky, Gentry polished his professional credentials working for Dr. Richard Holder, one of the premier reproductive veterinarians in the world. He also spent a year of apprenticeship on the racetrack for legendary trainer Charlie Whittingham. He then gained international experience, working a year in South Africa for industrialist Graham Beck at the yearling division of his racing and breeding operation outside of Cape Town.
In 1992, Gentry co-founded John R. Gaines Thoroughbreds with the late John Gaines, one of the Thoroughbred industry's greatest businessmen and the founder of the Breeders' Cup. What started out as a small commercial broodmare band became, in a matter of a few years, one of the top commercial breeding operations in the business. Throughout the decade of the 1990's, the operation became the leading consignor of weanlings sold at public auction in the following categories: i) percentage of stakes winners sold, ii) percentage of graded stakes winners sold, iii) average racetrack earnings per horse sold and iv) average sales price. In addition, the pair sold more than 12 individual sale or session topping horses at public auction, including 4 record priced horses, and were the leading weanling seller in 5 different years.
In 2000, Gentry purchased the assets of John R. Gaines Thoroughbreds with Gaines' son Thomas, to found Gaines-Gentry Thoroughbreds, where he serves as president and COO. Gentry also co-founded the Consignor Breeder's Association (CBA), which acts as a voice of the breeding and selling industry.