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00:00Well, hello and welcome to our very first episode of Catching Up with Katie.
00:11I'm Katie Petruniak.
00:12We are here at Wallace Station.
00:13It's a beautiful day in the bluegrass, a little bit cold, but I am so excited to be here with
00:19Walker Hancock, president of Claiborne Farm, and Will Levis, starting quarterback for the
00:24University of Kentucky football team.
00:26It's going to be great to catch up with you guys.
00:28How are you doing today?
00:29Doing really well.
00:30Great day.
00:31Thanks for having us.
00:32Absolutely.
00:33Will is the true Kentuckian of the group with his ALA.
00:35We were unprepared.
00:36I like it.
00:37I've been here less than a year, but I'm trying to embrace it.
00:40Yeah, you got the whole culture down already.
00:42I love it.
00:44Of course, we're talking about the NIL deal that was announced earlier this month between
00:48Will and Claiborne Farm's stallion, War of Will, the first partnership of its kind between
00:54a thoroughbred farm and a collegiate student-athlete.
00:56There are so many cool implications for the thoroughbred industry that I want to talk
01:00to you guys about.
01:01Will, I'll ask you first.
01:03You came here last year.
01:04When you first came here, you were starting to think about these NIL deals.
01:07Did you ever picture yourself in a partnership like this with a thoroughbred stallion?
01:11Well, not really.
01:13When the deals and when the opportunities first came about last summer, I wasn't really
01:17too involved in the space.
01:18I didn't want to put too much time and effort into it.
01:20But after the season, when I was able to digest how the landscape of the deals were going,
01:26I made sure I got a team around me of people that are smarter than me, thankfully, and
01:30were able to think of deals like this, which made sense, which I don't know if I would
01:34have ever been able to think of.
01:36But luckily, we were able to make it happen.
01:38And obviously, it's paid dividends.
01:40And I think that it's just been so great how much attention we've been able to get Walker
01:44and Claiborne, not only them, but just the industry in general, because it's just so
01:49pertinent to Kentucky's economic success.
01:53Just to bring us the industry and to bring us the people that are a part of it has been
01:57really cool.
01:58Yeah, absolutely.
01:59And Walker, from your angle, how did this whole idea come about for you guys?
02:04So one of my best friends works for the University of Kentucky football team named Josh Estes-Wall.
02:10He's one of the offensive guys.
02:12Will probably knows him pretty well.
02:14But when this whole NIL scene came about last summer, when it became legal, I guess, he
02:22called me up and was like, hey, you got to figure out a way to involve your farm with
02:26one of our players.
02:27And we tossed around ideas.
02:28It was kind of an ongoing conversation.
02:31And then when Ryan Maxwell, who represents Will, reached out to me and said, hey, I represent
02:39Will Levis.
02:40You have a stallion named Will.
02:41I think we should try and work something out.
02:42I was like, yes, that's right.
02:44This is what we've been waiting for.
02:46And it's actually just kind of been a perfect synergy of our brands and what we're looking
02:51to do.
02:52And it's worked out really well so far.
02:54When we were looking around, it's crazy just kind of how organic it was and just how perfect.
02:58Because when we were looking for the deal and we just knew how perfect it made sense
03:04from just an industry standpoint and being who I am, the Kentucky quarterback.
03:09But when we were going through the stallion catalog, seeing the name War of Will, it's
03:14just like, all right, well, we got to make that work.
03:16And it worked out well because his first foals are just now hitting the ground.
03:19So it's always good to try and help advertise those, to try and get some more seasons sold
03:23in the second season.
03:24As you know, it's one of the harder ones to sell.
03:26So it just really worked out well.
03:31Whether it's Division I or Grade I, top athletes have certain traits in common.
03:36Speed.
03:37Strength.
03:38Class.
03:39Versatility.
03:40And most of all, willpower.
03:47Claiborne Farms' stallion, War of Will, was a Grade I winner on both dirt and turf.
03:54Now, his first foals are taking the field.
03:58Well, I saw the first commercial.
04:00It looks so good.
04:01You guys should be really happy with it.
04:02What was that experience like to be in that commercial?
04:04It was my first time ever really having a camera on me like that and having to repeat lines.
04:10It gets kind of monotonous and annoying, but I mean, it's cool because I think I did a
04:15pretty good job for my first time.
04:16Yes.
04:17But you need to have those experiences if you ever want to get better at that kind of stuff.
04:21So I mean, I think hopefully if my career pans out the way that I want it to, there'll
04:24be other opportunities for stuff like that.
04:26So for that to be my first time doing it, it was really exciting.
04:30And how the agency kind of put us through the process of how to do the commercial, I
04:36was in and out of there in like an hour.
04:37I was very surprised.
04:38So I mean, it was put together really well and it was just a smooth process.
04:42You're such a natural.
04:43You'd think you'd been doing that for seven years.
04:45Had you ever been around horses at all before or was it more of like your first interaction?
04:49Well, I mean, really the only closest I've been around horses wasn't until I got here.
04:54So like when I was, we were talking earlier off camera about how I had taken a tour at
04:59Keeneland, which is the local racetrack here, when I first got here.
05:02And I was able to go back and look at some of the horses in their stables.
05:06And that was the first time I was really up and close.
05:08And I was kind of just like took my breath away.
05:10I was like, wow, like just beautiful creatures, majestic, like amazing.
05:15And that's what kind of piqued my interest.
05:17And then, but to see War of Will and to just learn about him and obviously having done
05:24the deal.
05:25And then after the fact, meeting him in person for the first time, that was really, really
05:29cool.
05:30And it's, I feel like, I feel like I got a little piece of him, you know, I got a little
05:33piece, partial ownership in him, you know, so just to have a horse that I can actually
05:38kind of be directly related to is cool.
05:41And he's so gorgeous.
05:42Oh my gosh.
05:43Beautiful.
05:44Yeah.
05:45So beautiful.
05:46So what have been the reactions from people like Walker from breeders?
05:48And I mean, it's honestly been incredible.
05:51The reaction that we've gotten, the tweet that we sent out alone has over 500,000 impressions.
05:56It was exploding like that day.
05:57It literally went viral.
05:59And it was cool to see the other outlets that aren't necessarily in the horse racing industry
06:03pick it up.
06:05And how much traction it gained there, like people saying like how cool it was or unique
06:08or like only in Kentucky can this happen, which I think the university should definitely,
06:13that's a recruiting tool right there.
06:15But no, it's been cool.
06:17And, you know, we're always trying to find like new fans, you know, and when we can cross
06:22sports like this, get football fans, maybe more focused on horse racing, horse racing,
06:27watch football.
06:28It's just kind of works out really well for both sports.
06:31And, you know, we're just really pleased with the reaction.
06:34And, you know, like I said, it's really gone well so far.
06:38I think that's what's made this deal so exciting is because just the amount of eyes that we've
06:42been able to get on both Walker and Claiborne and then myself in Kentucky, but then just
06:48with the uniqueness of it, you're getting not just the eyes of the people in the horse
06:52industry or Kentucky football fans involved.
06:55You're expanding the possibilities of new fans to brand new demographics because of
07:00the uniqueness of the deal and just the amount of outlets and people that picked up on it.
07:05Because it's regardless of if you have no interest in horse racing or football, it's
07:09still a cool story to read about.
07:11Yeah, usually when horse racing news goes viral, it's for the wrong reasons.
07:16So it was actually nice for horse racing news to go viral for, you know, like a positive
07:23fun story.
07:24So much fun.
07:25So much fun.
07:26And so you're from Connecticut, Will, and played at Penn State.
07:29So I'm assuming you didn't have much exposure to horse racing before you came here.
07:33Not at all.
07:34It seems like while you're talking, it seems like you've worked in the industry for years.
07:37Like you seem like you're kind of getting a passion for it.
07:39I mean, I still have a lot to learn.
07:40I'm still very surface level knowledge of the sport and the industry.
07:45But, I mean, I'm just going to keep dipping my feet in and learning as much as I can about
07:50it because it's so interesting.
07:52And there's a lot of money in it, too.
07:54I mean, if you want to make some money, like, that's not the main, I guess, reason behind
07:58my interest.
07:59But it's just while I'm here, you can't get this like you can here anywhere else.
08:03So you got to take advantage of it, you know.
08:05Yeah, I got to embrace it.
08:06I love that.
08:07I love that.
08:08Only through University of Kentucky.
08:09Exactly.
08:10Well, you told me your summer schedule earlier.
08:13And obviously, you have a ton of free time in the next couple of years.
08:16But like somewhere on down the road, could you see yourself getting further involved
08:20in racing?
08:21100%.
08:22100%.
08:23That's awesome.
08:24I think that it's definitely something I want to continue to keep myself involved with in
08:28one way or the other.
08:29But I don't know to what extent I'd be involved with it.
08:31But I'm just going to continue to learn about it and keep just having a passion for it.
08:36Have you been out to Keeneland?
08:38Yeah.
08:39I was able to go once in October.
08:41And then a couple weekends ago, I went as well.
08:44So it's cool to kind of get.
08:46It's funny.
08:47I was talking to you.
08:48You mentioned I went to Penn State.
08:49You go out as a college student at Penn State.
08:51You can wear sweatpants or a sweatshirt to wherever.
08:56But Keeneland, you see all the college students out there dressed to the nines.
09:02And I love it.
09:03I like getting dressed in sweats and T-shirts, shorts whenever I can.
09:07But there's also nice times to go out and kind of show off a little bit.
09:11So I like that part of it.
09:13That's awesome.
09:14That's so cool.
09:15It's cool.
09:16Keeneland's unique.
09:17That's what you see when you go out there.
09:18And people are always excited to be at the races dressed up.
09:20They get that summertime dress on.
09:23And no matter the temperature, they're going to wear it.
09:25Exactly.
09:26That was me on Saturday.
09:28Walker, tell me what you see as far as the future with the other future partnerships
09:33that could happen between these Italian farms and student-athletes.
09:35Well, like I said, this one's gone so well that I hope maybe other farms will continue
09:39to maybe look into this, go down this avenue as well.
09:42It's been a huge benefit for War of Will.
09:46And the farm, like I've said, it's got a lot of great publicity.
09:49And that's the kind of stuff that we need to push our industry forward
09:52and maybe shine a better light on our sport.
09:56But yeah, like I said, this is so brand new.
09:59We knew we were kind of taking a leap of faith when we did it.
10:01We didn't really know what to expect, but it's exceeded our expectations thus far.
10:06That's so cool.
10:07I'm so happy, too.
10:08I can't wait to see the other commercials that are coming out right this summer.
10:11Will we have a couple more?
10:12Yeah.
10:13I mean, we got a lot of footage.
10:14This one that he did the other day was just focused kind of on foals
10:17because they're just now being born.
10:19Right, cool.
10:20Yeah, we'll probably use some other footage and make a couple new ones maybe towards the fall.
10:25I got you.
10:26Okay, cool.
10:27I wanted to go a little bit of a different route for one question
10:29because you both come from families that excel at what you do now.
10:32Obviously, everyone in racing knows the Hancock family, and Will,
10:35your father and grandfather and other family members played college football.
10:38So when you think about the success that you guys have had so much so far in your career,
10:43how does that family legacy tie into the success you've had?
10:47I think that for me, it's kind of like when you grow up in a football family
10:50or you grow up in a family that throughout the years has had people that have played that sport
10:56or been involved in that industry, sometimes you feel like you're kind of forced into it.
11:00But I think with my family, I was very blessed to have an environment
11:03where nothing was really forced upon me,
11:05and football was just something that I was naturally able to learn about and grow and love.
11:10While there was no really pressure on me to play football,
11:14it is kind of cool to look back and see the success of previous people in my family
11:19who have played football, and it just gives me motivation to make them proud.
11:24I grew up always hearing from my parents,
11:26everything that you do reflects our family name,
11:28and I want to make sure that I'm giving my family a good reputation.
11:32So I'm just trying to do my best to make my family look good, I guess.
11:38Yeah, I love that.
11:39That was a really good answer, just what he said.
11:42No, but one thing that kind of struck me when he was talking there
11:46was his dad or whatever didn't push you to play football,
11:49and my dad did the same thing for me, but for the horses.
11:52He kind of let me play sports growing up.
11:55I enjoyed going to the foaling barn and doing things on the farm,
11:59but it wasn't like every Saturday morning I had to go muck stalls or something like that
12:02because I'm sure if he pushed me towards that, I might have got burned out.
12:07But you know, I might have resented it a little bit.
12:09For sure.
12:10So I got to be a kid and grow up, and it just so happened that I found a passion for it,
12:14and I'm really lucky and blessed that I'm in the position that I'm in.
12:23And just like he said, just trying to make your family proud and keep it going.
12:28I'm a fifth generation horseman, fourth generation to run the farm,
12:31so there's definitely some pressure to keep it going,
12:33and I'm just trying to do my best at that.
12:35That's really cool because you guys are from totally different worlds,
12:37but you have that same lifestyle.
12:39It's still similar in how we were brought up.
12:41Yeah, that's awesome. Cool.
12:42Well, I couldn't sit down with Will Loves without asking you a little bit about football.
12:46The Blue and White game was earlier this month.
12:49What were your takeaways from that?
12:50It was great.
12:51It was a great culmination of our whole spring and the process that we've gone through
12:56with the new offensive coordinator, with the new offensive line coach,
12:58and a couple other coaches across the board.
13:00There's always that constant change in the staff for any program in the country,
13:05so not everything's going to be the same.
13:07We know that.
13:08Obviously, new guys in new positions, so in the beginning, it was a little rocky,
13:12but we were able to just smooth it out, and I think that by the end of spring,
13:15we were really comfortable and really proud with where we were,
13:17and I think that it's only going to get better throughout the summer
13:20as we continue to kind of just hit the weight room, hit the runs,
13:24and do all the stuff off the field as players just to get better camaraderie
13:29and just get better connectedness between us as an offense at least.
13:34I'm excited for it.
13:35I'm excited.
13:36I can't wait.
13:37I've only lived here for six years, but I'm a big Cats fan,
13:40and I feel like this year more than any other year.
13:42I can remember there's just so much talk and so much hype about football season.
13:46Do you get that vibe just with coaching staff and teammates?
13:49Yeah.
13:50I think that it's kind of natural.
13:52When you have a good season, the fans are into it, and the fans are all excited about it,
13:56and it's our job to kind of keep playing well so that excitement stays there.
14:01We know that, and I think that Big Blue Nation is as great as a fan base
14:05as anyone in the country.
14:07Absolutely.
14:08Especially what I saw at Penn State.
14:09They're just so crazy over there,
14:11and I didn't think that anything would compare until I got here,
14:13and it's right up there with them.
14:17We love them.
14:18The fans are really what drives the excitement
14:20and drives the momentum of the program and the school,
14:24and we just got to keep making them proud.
14:27Yeah, absolutely.
14:28What's so perfect about this NIL deal is this college town.
14:31Everyone here just loves their sports and loves their athletes so much,
14:35so it's just so perfect to have all this.
14:37Yeah, we don't have a professional sports team.
14:39We have college athletics, and we have horse racing.
14:42That's perfect.
14:43Yeah, it really is.
14:44Well, thank you guys so much for chatting with me.
14:46It was fun.
14:47Yeah.
14:48This was cool.
14:50Thanks for having us.
14:51All right.
14:52Well, thank you all.
14:53Bye.
14:54Bye.
14:55Bye.
14:56Bye.
14:57Bye.
14:58Bye.
14:59Bye.
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