The Jockey Club

A federal judge in California on Monday terminated a nearly two-year-old lawsuit initiated against the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) by Thoroughbred owner Jerry Jamgotchian that alleged Jamgotchian's constitutional and civil rights were violated when the stewards at Los Alamitos Race Course denied entry to one of his horses in 2022 over a naming and registration controversy. Although the Aug. 12 ruling out of United States District Court (Central District, Southern Division) quashed the lawsuit itself, the litigation has never stopped the now 5-year-old Malpractice Meuser (GB) (Helmet {Aus}) from...

The 72nd annual Jockey Club Round Table Conference, held Aug. 1 in Saratoga Springs, New York, was livestreamed as it happened on The Jockey Club website last Thursday. Official transcripts and video replay are now available at jockeyclub.com. The Round Table Conference has been held since 1953 and annually features discussions on critical industry topics, including aftercare, equine safety, marketing, and national uniformity.

Gatewood Bell has been appointed to serve on the management committee of Equibase Company LLC, announced company chairman Ian D. Highet. The vice president of racing for Keeneland and a third-generation horseman, Bell also served as president of Cromwell Bloodstock for a decade before joining Keeneland as well as previously serving on the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. He has been a member of The Jockey Club since 2020 and serves as a member of the Breeders' Cup. Bell fills the vacating board seat of James Gagliano, president and chief operating...

Todd Gralla, principal at Populous, will be the keynote speaker at the 72nd annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing, which will be held Aug. 1 at the Excelsior Springs Event Center in Saratoga Springs. Populous is a global design firm that focuses on sports and entertainment, from stadiums and arenas to event spaces and urban environments. Gralla will discuss cutting-edge racetrack projects around the globe and he will provide a look into the redesign of Belmont Park, which attempts to integrate modern technology into racetrack operations, while...

Baroness Dido Harding has succeeded Sandy Dudgeon as one senior steward of The Jockey Club (TJC). Her term will last for five years. A member of TJC since 2004 and part of the Board of Stewards since 2017, Harding will chair TJC's main board, and will serve as a senior steward with The Lord Grimthorpe as her deputy senior steward. Also on the board of stewards are stewards William Rucker, William Sporborg, Tim Syder, Sam Waley-Cohen, Lady Carolyn Warren, and William Wyatt. The 56-year-old was previously a racecourse committee member...

An injunction prohibiting acts of intentional disruption at The Jockey Club's Epsom Downs Racecourse has been extended an additional five years by a High Court judge, TJC announced on Wednesday. The injunction will be subject to an annual review. The original injunction was put in place in May of last year when protesters from Animal Rising made it clear that they planned to breach course security and stage a disruptive protest at the Derby Festival. Judge Sir Anthony Mann has ruled that the final injunction--sought by TJC to restrain acts...

Nevin Truesdale is expected to step down from his role as group chief executive at The Jockey Club at the end of 2024, having asked the board of stewards to start the process of finding his successor. Truesdale, who spoke to TDN in a recent interview, joined The Jockey Club in 2013 and was appointed as the organisation's permanent group chief executive from the start of 2021, having served in an acting capacity since Delia Bushell resigned the previous August. He was tasked with navigating the impacts of the Covid-19...

After reading Dan Ross's Aftercare gaps article in the May 31 edition of the TDN, I have some suggestions. Jeff Bloom (TAA president) hit the problem on the head: "One way or another we need a mandatory sustainable fundraising solution. So who's going to pay for that?" As TAA's Founder and first President in 2012, I was a complete failure in attaining mandatory funding through our Industry. It continues to baffle me on how we could not raise $15-$20 million to help solve this problem. Maybe that's not enough either,...

Luxury brand Holland Cooper has been named the new sponsor for the 2024 G1 Coronation Cup at Epsom Downs Racecourse on Ladies Day, May 31, The Jockey Club announced on Friday. Part of the Betfred Derby Festival which features the G1 Betfred Oaks on Friday and the G1 Betfred Derby on Saturday, the 1 1/2-mile race, now known as the Holland Cooper Coronation Cup, was established in 1902 to celebrate the accession to the throne of King Edward VII. The British-based luxury brand has already sponsored the leading jockey and...

Edited Press Release Five students will receive academic scholarships from The Jockey Club for the 2024-2025 academic year, The Jockey Club announced Thursday. Lauren Maas was selected to receive The Jockey Club Scholarship ($7,500 per semester), which is awarded to a student on an academic path toward employment in the equine industry. Maas is a candidate for a Master's of Science in Animal Biology with the thesis, "Arrhythmogenesis and Sudden Cardiac Death in Thoroughbred Racehorses." After receiving her Master's, Lauren will attend veterinary school at the Royal Veterinary College in...

Applications for The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program's (T.I.P.) two annual awards, the Thoroughbred of the Year Award and the Young Rider of the Year Award, are now available online at tjctip.com. Applications are due June 30 The T.I.P. Thoroughbred of the Year Award recognizes a Thoroughbred that has excelled in a non-competitive career, such as equine-assisted therapy or police work. The award includes a $5,000 grant to the non-profit organization associated with the horse or, if no organization is associated with the horse, to a horse-related charity chosen by...

The 2024 edition of The American Racing Manual, which contains historical data through 2023, is now available in PDF format through The Jockey Club Fact Book. The Fact Book is a statistical and informational guide to Thoroughbred breeding, racing, and auction sales in North America. The Jockey Club is accepting feedback for potential modifications to The American Racing Manual, which can be submitted to contactus@jockeyclub.com.