Tom Rooney

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and Caesars Entertainment have announced an agreement which establishes Bally's--the soon-to-be renamed Horseshoe Las Vegas--as the host site of the National Horseplayers' Championship through 2026. This year's event will take place Mar. 10-12, 2023. "We are delighted to secure a multi-year extension and continue our partnership with two iconic brands--Caesars and Horseshoe Las Vegas--to host hundreds of horseplayers in the heart of the Las Vegas strip at the world's most prestigious horse racing handicapping contest," said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. "We're pleased...

The Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor will be issuing a regulation that will make an additional 64,716 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas available to employers for fiscal year (FY) 2023, on top of the 66,000 H-2B visas that are normally available each fiscal year, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association reported in a release Thursday. By making these supplemental visas available at the outset of the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, 2022, those in the horse industry, such as trainers, who rely heavily on the H-2B visa...

Edited Press Release The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced Friday the hiring of Jordan Bonfitto to serve as NTRA's Director of Government Affairs. Bonfitto will be based in the NTRA's newly opened Washington, D.C. office and will lead the organization's advocacy efforts alongside President and CEO, former U.S. Congressman, Tom Rooney. "We're excited to have Jordan join our team to help advocate the issues critical to the Thoroughbred racing industry," Rooney said. "Jordan's experience in the Executive Branch and on Capitol Hill will be a huge asset as we...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has officially opened an office in Washington, D.C. NTRA president and CEO Tom Rooney, a former Congressman, has indicated the office will be fully staffed and open for visitors. "I've been hired and tasked to go to Washington and be the voice of the Thoroughbred racing industry to our nation's policy makers," said Rooney. "Having spent a decade in Congress, I know how Washington works. The biggest part of that is by showing up and being in person. By opening this office, we'll be...

Former U.S. congressman Tom Rooney is the new president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA). He released a statement Wednesday, which appears below. For more insight into Rooney's plans and priorities for the NTRA, watch or listen to the final 2021 Writers' Room podcast (links appear at the bottom of the story). Following is Rooney's Wednesday statement in its entirety: Horse racing has been in my family since long before I was born, and I've grown up with a passion for the sport. When I retired from...

According to figures released Wednesday by Equibase, $12,218,407,637 was wagered on horse racing in the U.S. in 2021. The figure marks the first time betting has topped $12 billion since 2009 when $12.315 billion was bet. "Against an extraordinarily difficult backdrop, the resiliency of Thoroughbred racing was on full display in 2021, as we concluded the year with significant growth in purses and total handle of more than $12 billion, the highest since 2009," NTRA President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Rooney said in a statement. "We thank our customers...

It's a hell of a time in racing to become the new head of one of the sport's foremost national organizations, but new National Thoroughbred Racing Association president and CEO Tom Rooney says he's ready for the challenge. Wednesday morning, the former U.S. congressman joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland's final show of 2021 as the Green Group Guest of the Week to discuss what the NTRA's top priorities will be under his stewardship, how his previous experience on the Hill can benefit the industry, what he thinks...

Newly-appointed NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney joins the final TDN Writers' Room podcast of 2021 to discuss how his D.C. background can help racing.

Thomas J. (Tom) Rooney, a former U.S. Congressman, has been named to succeed Alex Waldrop as the president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA). As has been previously announced, Waldrop will retire at the end of this year. Rooney is an owner and breeder and has been part of his family's Shamrock Farm, a Thoroughbred breeding and lay-up operation in Maryland. The farm was founded by his grandfather, Art Rooney, Sr. He has also served on the board of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association for the past...