Kylie Bax: From International Runways to New Zealand Racehorses
Sometimes you have to travel around the world to discover that where you really belong is back where you started.
Few guests on The Travel Wins Podcast illustrate that idea better than Kylie Bax.
Kylie’s journey has taken her from New Zealand to some of the world’s great fashion capitals, onto international magazine covers, through the movie business and into a life that most people could only imagine.
She spent years traveling internationally as one of New Zealand’s most successful models.
Today?
You’ll find her back home in New Zealand.
And instead of runways, she’s surrounded by racehorses.
For this special audio-only episode of The Travel Wins, Kylie and I talk about an extraordinary career, what she learned traveling the world, and how returning home eventually led her back to something that had been part of her life long before fashion discovered her:
Horses.
Before the Runways, There Were Horses
To understand Kylie’s story today, you have to go back to the beginning.
Long before the international fashion shows and magazine covers, horses were already part of her world.
Her father became involved with breeding racehorses, and Kylie developed a fascination with the animals and racing from an early age.
That matters because her current career isn’t a celebrity discovering horse racing later in life.
In many ways, it’s a return home.
The horses were there first.
New Zealand to New York
Then life changed dramatically.
Kylie left New Zealand for New York and entered a completely different world.
Her modeling career accelerated quickly.
She worked internationally and appeared on the covers of major fashion publications including Vogue, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar and Marie Claire. Her career also put her on runways for major fashion houses and in front of some of the industry’s best-known photographers.
Imagine that transition.
One chapter begins around horses in New Zealand.
The next unfolds in New York, Paris and other fashion capitals around the world.
When Travel Is the Job
People often associate international modeling with glamour.
And certainly, there are extraordinary opportunities.
- Beautiful locations.
- Famous photographers.
- Fashion shows.
- First-class events.
- But there’s another side.
- Jet lag.
- Casting calls.
- Early mornings.
- Unpredictable schedules.
- Being thousands of miles from home.
And constantly needing to perform professionally regardless of how tired, uncomfortable or far from familiar surroundings you might be.
That’s one reason I wanted Kylie on The Travel Wins Podcast.
Her career provides a fascinating perspective on what it means when travel isn’t a vacation.
Travel is the job.
Seeing the World Through Fashion
Kylie’s modeling career gave her something few people ever experience:
A front-row view of the international fashion industry during a remarkable era.
She worked with some of fashion’s most recognizable names and traveled through a world where careers could change with a single photograph, introduction or opportunity.
- Those experiences required adaptability.
- You arrive in another city.
- Meet another team.
- Work with another photographer.
- Understand another creative vision.
- Then move again.
- That’s a skill.
And it’s one that applies far beyond fashion.
From Modeling to Acting
Kylie’s career eventually expanded beyond fashion.
She moved into acting and appeared in several films, adding another chapter to an already unconventional career. Her professional biography lists eight film appearances between 1999 and 2005.
- Again, the environment changed.
- Different sets.
- Different expectations.
- Different people.
- Different cities.
- But many of the lessons remained the same.
- Show up prepared.
- Adapt quickly.
- Understand what’s expected.
- Be professional.
And take advantage of opportunities when they arrive.
Coming Home to New Zealand
After years of international travel, Kylie eventually returned to New Zealand.
In 2013, she moved back with her daughters and settled on a bloodstock farm in Cambridge.
And that’s where the story comes full circle.
After years surrounded by photographers, designers, actors and celebrities, Kylie returned to the world she had known as a child.
- The contrast is almost cinematic.
- From high heels to gumboots.
- From fashion runways to racecourses.
- From international hotels to the farm.
But maybe those worlds aren’t as disconnected as they initially appear.
B.A.X — Bloodstock Achieving Xcellence
Today, Kylie is deeply involved in New Zealand thoroughbred racing through B.A.X – Bloodstock Achieving Xcellence.
The boutique syndication company allows people to participate in racehorse ownership through syndication.
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing lists Kylie as an authorized syndicator and describes B.A.X as combining her enthusiasm for the equine industry with a desire to win through carefully selected thoroughbreds.
Her company has been associated with a growing list of racehorses and winners, including horses such as Little Bit of Love, Danzdanzdance and Ahuriri.
This isn’t simply a hobby after modeling.
It’s another business.
What Does a Racehorse Syndicator Do?
For people outside horse racing, syndication can sound complicated. The basic concept is much simpler. Instead of one person purchasing and carrying the full cost of a racehorse, multiple people can participate through shared ownership or lease arrangements. That can make the experience of thoroughbred ownership accessible to people who otherwise might never consider it. But the real product isn’t simply a percentage of a horse.
It’s the experience. Following the horse’s development. Getting updates. Watching training. Going to the races. Meeting other owners. Standing together before a race. And hopefully experiencing the unbelievable excitement of watching your horse cross the finish line first.
Kylie’s B.A.X operation emphasizes keeping owners connected through updates, photographs, videos and social media throughout a horse’s racing career.
From Selling an Image to Selling an Experience
There’s an interesting connection between Kylie’s two careers.
Fashion is about presentation, storytelling and emotion.
So is horse racing.
A great syndicator needs more than an eye for a promising horse.
You also need to understand people.
You need relationships.
Communication.
Trust.
Marketing.
And the ability to make people feel connected to an experience.
Kylie spent years in an industry built around those skills.
Now she’s applying them in a completely different environment.
The Thrill of Watching Your Horse Win
There are few experiences in sports quite like owning a racehorse that wins.
Kylie knows that feeling.
She has spoken about the success of her syndication team and highlighted victories such as Ahuriri winning the VRC St Leger as particularly memorable racing moments.
Think about the contrast again.
There was once excitement from walking an international runway or seeing yourself on a major magazine cover.
Today, the adrenaline might come from standing beside a racetrack watching a horse you’ve selected and supported charging toward the finish line.
Different stage.
Different audience.
Same feeling of seeing hard work come together.
The Horses Come First
Something else I appreciate about Kylie’s involvement in racing is her emphasis on the animals themselves.
She’s spoken publicly about advocating for the rehoming and retraining of racehorses after their racing careers and challenging the perception that people within racing don’t care deeply about their horses.
That’s an important part of the conversation surrounding modern racing.
What happens after the track matters too.
Raising the Next Generation
Kylie’s connection to racing may also continue into another generation.
She has spoken proudly about one of her daughters working at Cambridge Stud and wanting to travel to broaden her knowledge of the thoroughbred industry.
There’s something fitting about that.
Travel helped shape Kylie’s career.
Now another generation may use travel to learn, grow and create its own path.
Sometimes Coming Home Is the Biggest Journey
We often think of success as continually moving forward.
- The next city.
- The next opportunity.
- The next promotion.
- The next bigger stage.
- Kylie’s story offers another perspective.
- Sometimes success means knowing when to come home.
- Not because the journey failed.
- Because the journey taught you what matters.
- Kylie traveled the world.
- She experienced international fashion.
- She worked in film.
- She lived abroad.
And eventually she returned to New Zealand and built a life around something that had been waiting for her since childhood. Horses.
Why Kylie Bax Is Perfect for The Travel Wins
This conversation represents exactly what I love about The Travel Wins Podcast.
The destination isn’t always the interesting part. It’s what happens to us along the way. Kylie’s journey took her from New Zealand to international fashion capitals and eventually back home. Every chapter taught her something. Every destination introduced another experience. And all of those experiences helped shape the person who eventually returned. That’s what travel can do.
Listen to My Audio-Only Conversation with Kylie Bax
This episode is a little different. There are no video cuts. No fashion photography. No runway footage. No horses charging down the final stretch. Just a conversation. And sometimes that’s the best way to hear someone’s story.
Put on your headphones and listen as Kylie Bax takes us from her beginnings in New Zealand through international modeling and acting, life on the road, returning home and building her next chapter in New Zealand’s thoroughbred racing industry.
If you’ve followed Kylie since her modeling days, you’ll hear another side of her story.
If you love horse racing, you’ll hear how a woman who grew up around thoroughbreds found her way back to them.
And if you’ve ever traveled far from home chasing an opportunity, you may recognize something else in her journey.
Sometimes we travel the world looking for what’s next.
Only to discover that the next chapter was waiting for us back home.
Connect with Kylie and B.A.X. Syndication on their social media pages:
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The Travel Wins intro song by Allison Johnson and Steve Stevens
