An increasingly popular feature of The HIDDEN BROOK TIMES is a Q&A with some of our valued clients. In an effort to better acquaint our readers and clients with Hidden Brook, we thought we'd shake it up a bit, and feature some of our key employees every now and then. First up is Equine Administrator Julie Coy Martinez, who has been an integral part of the team since 2009. Coy has been involved in the Thoroughbred industry in many capacities for most of her life. The wife and mother of 3 sat with us in mid-January to give our readers some insights regarding her experience and life in general.
Born: Lexington, KY
Residence: Lexington, KY
Family: Husband, one daughter and two sons
Education: High school - Columbia, MS; College - University of Kentucky
Primary business: Multi tasking
Coy, thank you for raising your hand first when we asked for volunteers from the staff. How did you come to Hidden Brook? A good friend of mine who knew Sergio, told me about the job opening four years ago, and it sounded like a great fit for both myself and the farm. I have three children that needed quite a bit of my afternoon attention when I started at Hidden Brook. The intention was to be part-time, but it quickly turned into a full-time position.
Are you from a horse-oriented family? I am. My father trained race horses when I was growing up. I spent many weekends wandering shed rows and crawling under webbing. Getting scolded to keep away or else I would lose a finger. By the age of ten, I was pretty handy with a stop watch and a copy of the DRF. My mother worked as a pari-mutuel clerk on the weekends at Churchill, so I would tag along with my allowance money.
Were you always horse crazy? You might say that. It was all I knew growing up. My mother was in banking, but I was always intrigued by horse racing since my father was a trainer. At the time, Thoroughbred racing was only on ESPN, so here I was, in middle school, scheduling my day around the Iselin Handicap on a Saturday. When I was in high school, I did three-day eventing in Louisiana, but when I went off to college, my budget was a ham sandwich, so my tack and feed bills were the first to go.
What got you started in the Thoroughbred industry? When I was in college, to make extra cash, I used to work the sales part-time on the weekends. When I left college, I knew someone who worked at The Jockey Club, and that's where I got my start.
You are Hidden Brook's Equine Administrator, as well as the voice on the phone. Take us through your average day/week at work. Everyone reading this will understand that a job with horses is never ending. My job is much the same. I wake up at 6 a.m. and the first thing I do is check my emails. I certainly spend the greater part of my day pushing paperwork around my desk and building spreadsheets to track foals, sales, etc. I make spreadsheets to track spreadsheets it sometimes seems, but what I love most is that every day brings something new. My favorite days (and I think for most of our clients as well), is when I get to go out and visit with the foals and take photos. Crossing a sweeping meadow to find a field full of sleepy foals is a great day in my books.
You do a grrrreat job with the foal photos! Is photography a hobby? Thanks! It is a bit. I had a very dear friend of mine, 15 years ago, who was a photographer. He did freelance work for many of the racing magazines and would let me tag along. The best time I had was at the Belmont Stakes when Victory Gallop nosed out Real Quiet at the finish. I was at the top of the stretch and I've never heard a wall of noise from a crowd as loud as that day when those two were dueling towards the wire.
Are there specific things you love best about your work? Yes! Each day is quite different. This week, for example, I'm working on getting the sales books finalized for the guys, along with catering and ordering hip numbers, worrying about picking up the dry cleaning for the men working the sales, while next week I'll start making preparations for the breeding season. Serge makes fun of me and my notepads that resemble subway graffiti more than coherent writing but yes, the phone rings and then someone walks through the door and then I get a fax...it's a constant juggling of time and effort, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
How has the Hidden Brook experience been different for you than any other industry experience? What is unique about being here at Hidden Brook is that I work directly for a group of guys that took a chance on themselves as friends and as businessmen to try and build something big, literally from the ground up. In most corporations, a regular employee might never get the chance to meet the CEO or president, but in my case, I work beside them every day. I've always believed in the expression that "good things happen to good people," and I honestly believe that's why they've enjoyed the success they have. They lead by example, and it's hard not to appreciate and want to follow along with people who dedicate themselves to their life's work.
I must ask: Is working for all those men a bit like herding cats? I think I'll take the Fifth on that (heh-heh).
Just had to ask. Now, is your love of horses something you share with your family? Not really. We actually live on a horse farm, and although my kids like going out and petting them, and even though they all can ride, they really don't show much more interest than that. My daughter is a swimmer, my boys love soccer and football. Looks like the horses will skip a generation. I do force them though to sit quietly on the couch while watching the Derby. It's religion here in Kentucky for those two minutes.
Tell us about your own most exciting moment. My hobby outside of chasing the Hidden Brook guys around to answer my questions, would be triathlons. I started about 4 years ago, and although it's time consuming, it's a great challenge and something I hope my kids will pick up one day. I'm not a morning person, so waking up at 5 a.m. to get a bike ride in or swim at the pool is a task in itself. I need to be done by the time kids wake up, but I still haven't warmed up to the morning. My most exciting moment was finishing my first Half Ironman last year in Michigan. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13 mile run.
Whew. That sounds too hard. At least the questions all get easier from here. What's your favorite sports team? I can't believe I'm saying this out loud. The Philadelphia Eagles. Feel free to throw a tomato at your computer screen.
Favorite place to eat and favorite meal? Fogo de Chao in Chicago.
Words you live by? "If you tell the truth, you don't have anything to remember."-Mark Twain (Sorry, I'm an English Major).
Best advice you ever got? Well, I've had plenty. I suppose we all have. But what I will always remember is spending time with my dad in Queens, New York, where I was always reminded "you didn't hear anything, you didn't see anything." Still makes me laugh to this day. [Ed note: Being from Queens myself, I don't see what's so funny...]
Final word for our readers? Is this where I should apologize for all that paperwork I send out?
prospect and a full sibling to a sale prospect have added real sparkle to Hidden Brook's 18-horse consignment to the upcoming Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale.
before the Triple Crown Trail heats up enough to engage our passion--Dan Hall found some words which he wanted to share with our readers. 
