Thoroughbred Club of America

Robert N. Clay has been selected by the Board of Directors of the Thoroughbred Club of America (TCA) as the 2025 Honor Guest, the organization said via a Friday press release. A former president of the TCA, Clay will be feted at the 94th Testimonial Dinner, which will be held at Keeneland on Saturday, Nov. 15. Current TCA President W. Chapman Hopkins said, "Mr. Clay's impact on the Thoroughbred industry has spanned decades. From managing influential stallions, to owning and breeding multiple graded stakes winners and most recently leading Grandview...

Francis X. "Buddy" Keegan, Jr., a New Jersey Racing Commissioner since 2006 and a breeder/owner who raced horses in the state since 1963, passed away on Thursday, June 5. He was 86. In addition to being a long-serving commissioner on the New Jersey Racing Commission, Keegan was president of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, president of the New Jersey Horsemen's Association and was a patron of Monmouth Hunt. Keegan was also a member of the Thoroughbred Club of America, the Green Mountain Horse Association and the National Hunt Association....

Racing industry participants are invited to the latest Speaker Series, a popular event hosted by the Thoroughbred Club of America (TCA) and which will feature HISA's CEO Lisa Lazarus as the guest after a day at the races at Keeneland. Lazarus will give a presentation discussing the first years of HISA and how to navigate the coming years. Scott Hazelton will moderate a panel discussion, which will include Dale Romans, Steve Asmussen, Elliot Walden, Dr. Stuart Brown, and possibly others, including Mark Casse. A question and answer session will follow....

Scott Hazelton, a FanDuel TV racing host and reporter, will host the 39th annual Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association's National Awards Dinner at Fasig-Tipton Sept. 7. Hazelton has covered horse racing since 2004 and has been part of FanDuel's coverage of the Triple Crown, Dubai World Cup and Royal Ascot. He also works for Keeneland as a pedigree announcer, as well as host for Keeneland's simulcast broadcast. Tickets are available to the public for both the Sept. 6 luncheon honoring state and Canadian breeders of the year at the Thoroughbred...

Breeder and owner John C. Oxley has been selected by the Thoroughbred Club of America (TCA) as the 2024 Honor Guest, the organization said in a Wednesday press release. Oxley will receive the award at the TCA's 93rd Testimonial Dinner, which will be held at Keeneland on Friday, Nov. 15. "The Thoroughbred Club of America is delighted to name John C. Oxley as its 2024 Honor Guest", said Club President Charlie Boden. "Mr. Oxley is a true horseman whose equestrian exploits in the saddle are well documented and only eclipsed...

A celebration of life memorial for Phil Oliver will be held at Thoroughbred Club of America in Lexington Apr. 8 from 4 to 7 p.m. The trainer passed away in February. He is survived by his wife Victoria Oliver, brother Chris Oliver, sister Toni Blinkhorn, and his mother Alison Oliver.

Richard Mandella has been selected by the Board of Directors of the Thoroughbred Club of America as the 2023 Honor Guest, Club President Charlie Boden announced Monday. "The Thoroughbred Club of America is delighted to name Richard Mandella as its 2023 Honor Guest", said Boden. "Richard is a shining example of what past generations traditionally thought of when they considered what a great trainer is--a real "throwback" who has never had more than 40 horses in his barn. He is steadfast in his care of the animal with a long...

Owner and breeder Rosalie Avery Swann passed away Monday. She was preceded in death by her husband John Swann, Jr., with whom she founded Cygnet Farm in 1979. The couple bred French group-placed Seaton Delaval (Seattle Dancer). Following her husband's death in 1993, Swann continued to breed and race horses with her children. She raced 2022 Tremont S. winner Two of a Kind (Overanalyze) in partnership and co-bred multiple stakes winner Offering Plan (Spring At Last) with her son, Christopher. Swann was the first principal of the Bluegrass School, a...

A leading author, Eclipse Award-winning journalist, and racing historian who has impacted the sport for more than six decades, Edward L. Bowen has been named the Thoroughbred Club of America's 2022 Testimonial Dinner Honor Guest by the organization's Board of Directors. The Club's 91st Testimonial Dinner will be held at Keeneland Mar. 31. "The Thoroughbred Club of America is delighted to name Edward Bowen as its 2022 Honor Guest", said Club President Tony Lacy. "Ed is respected worldwide for his integrity, talent, and love of racing, and his wide-ranging contributions...

Slammed took her New Mexico speed to the bluegrass Saturday, running off with the GII Thoroughbred Club of America S., a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint. Having racked up a six-for-eight record last term with romping stakes wins at Ruidoso, Albuquerque and Zia Park, the bay added a Sunland Park stakes victory in February. Leading regional conditioner Todd Fincher brought a string to Del Mar for the summer, and among that group was Slammed, who scored a 5 1/4-length allowance tally July 8...

Nick Strong, whose Old Colony Insurance Services insured a large number of Kentucky farms, perished last week in a small plane crash in Lincoln County, Kentucky. Strong, 63, died along with Ronald Eldridge, 61, in the crash. In addition to Old Colony Insurance, Strong was also Chairman of Jessamine South Elkhorn Water District, partner in N & R Enterprise & Bluegrass Industrial and a Special Deputy Sheriff for Jessamine County. He was an active board member for the Jessamine County Joint Economic Development Authority, Central Bank and Trust, and Kentucky...

In lieu of a funeral, a Celebration of Life for Mike Recio will be held at the Thoroughbred Club of America next to Keeneland on Friday, Oct. 1, from 6:30-9:00pm. Everyone who was a friend, family, business associate, etc., is invited to come tell some stories, and celebrate his life. Food and drinks will be served. Bloodstock agent and consignor Mike Recio passed away Sept. 16, at the age of 46 after battling sepsis. The son of respected Ocala horseman Bill Recio, he had been involved in the Thoroughbred racing...