Tom Rooney

Though still weeks from being potentially enacted, the threatened 25% blanket tariff on all Canadian goods entering the U.S. is causing some Canadian-based owner-breeders to sound the alarm about the possible impacts to their businesses and to the country's broader industry. "For us, it could be the end of the industry. Period," warned Yvonne Schwabe, the owner of Persley Den Farms in Acton, Ontario, and the breeder of 2013 Queen's Plate winner Midnight Aria. "That's the scary part." As currently outlined, the tariffs are scheduled to go into effect on...

Assessing the data amassed by the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority for the 2024 season, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Tom Rooney weighed in on the progress made in racing-related fatal injuries since HISA entered the picture. For the first time since the data has been tracked and recorded, the rate fell below 1.00 per 1000 starts for the 2024 calendar year. "HISA has been a clear game changer for Thoroughbred racing and its programs are working," said Tom Rooney, NTRA President and CEO. "It is important to not...

Thursday's 54th Annual Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards will honor the memory of the late Edward Bowen who passed away earlier this week. The decision, made by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, will honor the memory of the longtime author, racing journalist, and script writer for the Eclipse Awards since the event's inception in 1971. "For more than half a century, Ed Bowen's words described the most memorable moments of the sport as captured each year during the Eclipse Awards," said...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), National Turf Writers And Broadcasters and Daily Racing Form will offer a live announcement on FanDuel TV of the finalists for the 2024 Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards on Sunday, Jan. 5 at Noon ET, the NTRA said via a press release on Friday. The network will televise live the 54th annual awards show itself, which is held at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida, on Thursday, Jan. 23. New to this year's event, will be an Eclipse Awards Charity Golf Tournament benefitting the Thoroughbred...

Fans will have a chance to win a trip to the Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards Ceremony, presented by John Deere, Keeneland and The Jockey Club, as well as attend the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park as part of the Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards Sweepstakes. The grand prize winner of the sweepstakes will receive airfare, hotel, and two tickets to the Eclipse Awards to be held Jan. 23 at The Breakers Palm Beach, as well as tickets to the Pegasus World Cup held at Gulfstream Park Jan. 25. There is...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has formed a multi-year partnership with the Ed Brown Society to assist young people of color pursue careers in the racing industry, the NTRA said via a Wednesday release. "The NTRA is thrilled to partner with the Ed Brown Society to help encourage diversity in the Thoroughbred racing industry," said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. "We look forward to mentoring the Ed Brown Scholars as they get their start in this amazing industry." Together with NTRA and its other partners, the Ed Brown...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) named John Stewart's Resolute Racing as a title sponsor of the 54th Annual Eclipse Awards, which will be held on Thursday, January 23, at The Breakers Palm Beach, the organization said in a press release on Wednesday morning. The multi-year partnership between the NTRA and Resolute will include not only the title sponsorship of the awards ceremony, but also the event's after party. "I love this sport because it demands excellence," said John Stewart, president and CEO of Resolute Racing. "As we at Resolute...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) will host an Eclipse Awards Charity Golf Tournament, which will directly benefit the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), on Thursday Jan. 23 in advance of the 54th Annual Eclipse Awards ceremony, the organization said in a Wednesday press release. The NTRA will match proceeds to make a contribution to the TAA on behalf of the Thoroughbred racing industry and intends to make a presentation on the red carpet at the awards ceremony. The tournament will be held at the Ocean Course at the Breakers Palm...

Britney Eurton and EMMY Award-winning broadcaster Lindsay Czarniak will host the 54th Annual Eclipse Awards to be held Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida. Caton Bredar will once again serve as the announcer for the ceremony. Eurton, the daughter of California trainer Peter Eurton, will be co-hosting the Eclipse Awards for the fifth consecutive time. Previously of FanDuel TV, Eurton is now a host and a reported for NBC, Amazon Prime and other independent networks. She currently covers the National Women's Soccer League and is...

In 2009 when Tom Rooney joined the U.S. House of Representatives for Florida's 17th Congressional District--a Southwest portion of the Sunshine State--he assumed passage of a bill to permanently ban the commercial slaughter of horses, along with their export for such purposes, was a slam dunk. "I did not think that this was going to be a controversial issue," said Rooney, now the president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA). "It immediately became one of the most contentious, where I was like, 'yeah, I oppose horse slaughter...

The fifth installment in the 2024 OwnerView webinar held July 9 focused on the economics of the Thoroughbred industry, the series said in a release on Thursday. Guests Everett Dobson, owner of Cheyenne Stables and Candy Meadows Farm; Tom Rooney, president and CEO, National Thoroughbred Racing Association; and Dr. Marshall Gramm, co-founder, Ten Strike Racing, discussed a myriad of topics including record purses, incentives to race and breed horses and strong top-end sales with a declining foal crop. Five additional Thoroughbred Owner Conference virtual panels are scheduled for 2024. The...

The United States Supreme Court will not hear a challenge to the Horse Racing Safety and Integrity Act (HISA) filed by Oklahoma, Louisiana and West Virginia after the Sixth Court Circuit's Court of Appeals found that HISA is constitutional, according to an announcement from the Supreme Court Monday. "Certiorari denied," was the only statement coming from the court regarding the ruling, which was included among a monthly list of numerous other writ approvals and denials that the Supreme Court made public in batch format June 24. A writ of certiorari...