Page 81 - September 2020

R
Sachuan
uarez
A Good Man, a Good Friend, and Good for the Industry
Sales agent Rachuan Suarez is highly regarded on both sides of the border for his integrity, his knowledge, his dedication
and his passion for good horses.
Rachuan Suarez is a veterinarian, but he
doesn’t practice. Instead, he combines his love for horses and racing by serving as agent for his race-enthusiast clients in Mexico, by breeding, and by racing a few horses of his own each year, both at Mexico’s officially sanctioned track, Hipódromo de las Americas in Mexico City, and at the unofficial tracks and match races that are prevalent throughout Mexico.
“One of the things I admire most about Rachuan is that his business, like mine, is built on repeat business so it’s important for him to take care of his clients and ensure they have a satisfactory result,” says Butch Wise, general manager of the Lazy E in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
“We’re talking about race prospects so there are no guarantees, so for him to navigate these waters for this number of years, many times with the same people, speaks to his ability and
by Diane Rice
his connections and how they trust and depend on him. I think in business, you have to admire people who have staying power and don’t cross the integrity lines. He likes what he does and wants to keep doing what he does, so he always goes the extra mile.”
“He’s somebody you can count on,” adds trainer John Stinebaugh. “If he says he’s going to do something, he’s going to get it done. And he brings good people into the industry.”
HIS BEGINNINGS
Rachuan, now 62, recalls his father as a horse racing fanatic. “When I was 6 or 7 years old, I would go with him and watch racing,” he says. “I always saw my life as being with horses, so I decided to study veterinary medicine.”
He was in college when he started going to the U.S. in 1980, buying a load of tack, vitamins, grooming supplies and one horse and taking it back to Mexico on a small trailer for resale.
In 1983, he attended Ruidoso’s sale for the first time, then branched out to the other major
Quarter Horse sales. As the demand for the horses he imported increased, he dropped the supplies and concentrated on the horses. From there he expanded his purchases to around 80 yearlings each year in addition to a handful of broodmares and horses in training.
His clients reside throughout Mexico, from the state of Chihuahua south of El Paso, Texas, southward to Mexico City, further on to his home state of Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico, and to its neighboring state, Chiapas, Mexico’s furthest-south state.
“He’s been buying horses for as long as I can remember,” says Lowell Neumayer, Ruidoso’s sale manager for the past 32 years. “He knows good horseflesh, or he wouldn’t have as many clients as he does.”
But his evolution wasn’t without challenges. “I didn’t have any money when I started,” Rachuan says, “and I didn’t speak any English, so it was hard for me to speak with people to do business.” But with a bit of credit and some time, both his business and his fluency grew.
“I love buying and selling, but buying for me is the most exciting thing. I know a good buy and I buy what I like because then it’s easy to sell; I like to tell the truth, so it’s hard for me to sell something that I don’t like.” – Rachuan Suarez
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