BY SARAH WELK BAYNUM
Scott Kintz was born with generations of horse business in his blood, and he started his career with racehorses when he was just a kid.
“My Grandfather (mom’s dad) was a trainer, and my dad was also a trainer. So, I grew up on a farm and on the track at Waterford Park,” Scott Kintz says, “When I graduated from High School, I moved to Kentucky and went to work for long-time family friend Bill Helmbrecht.”
Kintz started training his own horses after his time with Helmbrecht, but after getting married and starting a family, things changed.
“We decided that me training horses for a living at that point was not for us. I then got a job at Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky and worked up to a farm manager position there and spent ten years working at Taylor Made,” Kintz says.
Kintz later made the decision to relocate to Florida and work for Woodford Thoroughbreds where he became general manager of Florida operations.
“I was at Woodford for five years, and then took a job as farm manager at Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm,” Kintz says. “Not too long after that, three out of my four kids were graduated from school and out of the house, so I got the itch to go out on my own and train again. With all the connections I had gathered over the years, it was helpful when it came to finding clients since I was associated with three of the best operations in the country,” Kintz adds.
Kintz says that family is a big part of why they established Six K’s Training & Sales in the first place. “My wife Kim does all of our business stuff and runs the office and my son Nick is my assistant and runs the crew on a day-to-day basis. He has grown up in the business, and was helping us foal mares as young as age three at Taylor Made. My son-in-law, Charlie Pardee, also works with us and my two daughters come around as much as they can. Even Hayden, my youngest son who is a senior in high school, does our videos.”
Not only are Kintz’s children a big part of running the operation, but his grandchildren are now also involved in the family business too.
“The best part is having the grandkids around. The oldest Zachary is in fourth grade, so his time at the barn is limited because of school and sports. The other two are toddlers named Hudson and Ramon and they come to the barn every Friday with my wife to see their dad work and hang out for a couple hours. Their favorite thing to do is ride one of my pony horses – they all just love the barn! It’s how I grew up and how my kids grew up, so we are just continuing that family tradition on,” Kintz says proudly.
The best horse Kintz says they have sold out of Six K’s to-date is Candy Man Rocket, who sold in 2020 for $250,000 at the OBS Spring Sale. “He is a multiple graded stakes winner of $451,000,” Kintz says of Candy Man.
Presently, Kintz and his team have also started yearlings for Jebel Ali Stable from the United Arab Emirates. “They bought ten horses last fall, and we got them ready to go to Dubai in the early summer. Michael Costa is the trainer, and he has had great success with them. Six of them are winners already and one is a stakes winner. They bought twelve more this last September, so we are hoping to continue our success over there for years to come,” Kintz says.
While Scott was born in Ohio and spent many years in Kentucky, he believes Florida is still the best place for his own horses and business.
“Central Florida is the best area there is to start young horses, to get horses to the two-year-old sales, and also to get them ready to go to the races. The weather is an obvious benefit but the support around here is also the best. The veterinarians are the best anywhere for young horses because they have just seen so many. Also, the vendors are well set up for our needs,” Kintz says.