NFL

Edited Press Release The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) has named Janelle L. Winston as the successor to general counsel Michelle Pujals who has retired from the post, the organization said via a press release on Wednesday. Pujals worked for HIWU for four years after spending two decades with the NBA's legal department, where she oversaw the development and administration of anti-drug programs for NBA players, coaches, and trainers. She was a member of the NBA/National Basketball Players Association Prohibited Substances Committee and the NBA Crisis Management Team. "Michelle...

Turning 40 does things to people. When Josh Isner reached the milestone, he took a look at the road ahead and asked himself a question. "Do I just want to get worse at golf every year for the rest of my life? Or do I want to try to go win the Kentucky Derby?" This was only last year, but this is a guy whose words can barely keep up with his deeds. Which is saying plenty, because his every syllable is suffused with energy and drive. Isner had played...

If you are looking to back a runner who can confidently operate under center, shoot the A-gap and get to the next level, streak like a gazelle along the sidelines and tip-toe ever so elegantly for the score, then look no further than Louisiana-bred Touchuponastar (Star Guitar), who took home his fourth Champions Day Classic Stakes at Fair Grounds on Saturday--the mark surpassed his stellar sire and moved him closer to $2-million in career earnings. The 6-year-old's ride for brothers Jake and Jeff Delhomme took them to new heights earlier...

You probably know that Terry Bradshaw won four Super Bowls, has been inducted into the College and Pro Halls of Fame and was the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1978. You probably know that Bradshaw has been a mainstay on Fox's coverage of the NFL since 1994. But you probably didn't know that Bradshaw owns a piece of a possible starter in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Along with Magdalena Racing and Graham Leveston, Bradshaw is the co-owner of the GIII Pocahontas Stakes winner Taken by the Wind (Rock...

His fans might not know that former NFL quarterback Terry Bradshaw is also a lifelong horse lover. This year, he's hoping to get to the Breeders' Cup with his filly Taken by the Wind, the winner of the GIII Pocahontas Stakes. The enthusiastic owner joined us on this week's TDN Writers' Room.  

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has appointed Katie Keenan as the new Senior Vice President and Chief Experience Officer (CXO), the track said in a Wednesday release. Keenan is a global live event and venue operations executive with two decades of sports industry experience. Prior to joining NYRA, she was Vice President for Live Events & Operations at the National Football League (NFL), where she led the planning and delivery of the NFL's marquee events including the Super Bowl, NFL Draft, and NFL International Series Games. As CXO,...

Horse racing frequently talks about the importance of fan building, ownership development and growing our workforce. But imagine if the leading organizations in Thoroughbred racing truly joined forces to invest in tomorrow's fans, workforce, and owners. That's exactly what the golf industry did in 1997. The USGA, LPGA, Masters Tournament, PGA of America, and PGA TOUR collaborated to launch First Tee, a youth development non-profit with a mission to make golf accessible and affordable for all children. The USGA alone committed $3 million in the program's first three years--an amount...

The Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, placed the first in-person sports wager at Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet said in a release Thursday morning. The bet was a $20 parlay on the win "over" for the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville football teams, and the "under" for Duke University's squad. "Today is a great day to celebrate and have a little bit of fun doing so," said Gov. Beshear. "It has taken many years to get here, but sports wagering is finally a reality in Kentucky....

   This month's column focuses on messaging and the importance of a clear communication strategy as a crucial element to successfully promote and grow a sport. In the U.S., the NFL sits atop the sports apex and, similar to racing, the league has had to address a variety of controversial issues that challenged the integrity and popularity of the sport.    After graduating from the University of Virginia, my roommate, Alex Riethmiller, and I decided to embark on careers in Sports Business. While my first job was producing events for...

ALICIA HUGHES, Director of NTRA Communications  As a person of color in this sport, this is a topic that is extremely personal. This is my life. When you talk about what racing can do to be more diverse, in my mind, racing needs to start by acknowledging the issue of a lack of diversity in positions of power and influence. That is something that we have yet to do. I have pulled transcripts from symposiums and round tables, but there has been no discussion. The issue of the lack of...

Parx-based sophomore Monday Morning Qb (Imagining) is under consideration for Aqueduct's nine-furlong GIII Withers S. Feb. 1, which carries with it GI Kentucky Derby qualifying points. Second behind Saturday's impressive Gulfstream allowance winner Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic) in a Bensalem maiden special weight Oct. 12, the Butch Reid trainee earned an 85 Beyer Speed Figure when graduating back at that venue Nov. 16. He handled his first foray into stakes company with aplomb, taking Laurel's Heft S. over seven panels. "He was kind of tired, it was a big step...