FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 9, 2023

TOBA

TOBA Names Officers and Five New Trustees to Board

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association announced today the election of David O’Farrell as chairman of its Board of Trustees. Also joining O’Farrell on the Board of Trustees to serve three-year terms as new members are Joe Appelbaum, Michael Banahan, Everett Dobson, Mandy Pope and R. Glenn Sikura.

Re-elected to three-year terms were current trustees Shannon Arvin, Jeffrey Bloom, Marette Farrell, Brant Laue, Garrett O’Rourke, and Stephen Screnci.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to lead an organization that deeply cares about the economics and integrity of horse racing on behalf of owners and breeders,” O’Farrell said.

Following its annual members meeting, the TOBA Board of Trustees met to elect officers for the association. Officers named for 2023-2024 are: David O’Farrell, chairman, Everett Dobson, vice-chairman, Dan Metzger, president; Doug Cauthen, secretary; and Garrett O’Rourke, treasurer.

The TOBA Board also approved the appointment of Alex Solis II to the American Graded Stakes Committee.

The 2023-2024 committee is comprised of TOBA members Everett Dobson (chair), Barbara Banke, Walker Hancock, Brant Laue, David O’Farrell, and Alex Solis II and racing officials Dan Bork (Churchill Downs and Ellis Park) Frank Gabriel (NYRA), Rick Hammerle (Kentucky Downs), Chris Merz (Santa Anita Park), and Tora Yamaguchi (Del Mar).

The Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association (TOBA), based in Lexington, Ky., was formed in 1961 and is a national trade organization of leading Thoroughbred owners and breeders. TOBA’s mission is to improve the economics, integrity and pleasure of the sport on behalf of Thoroughbred owners and breeders. Projects managed by TOBA include the American Graded Stakes Committee, Claiming Crown, Ownership Seminars, Breeding, Conformation & Pedigree Clinics, US-Bred, TOBA Owners Concierge, OwnerView and the Sales Integrity Program. TOBA provides international representation for U.S. owners and breeders on the International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee, International Cataloguing Standards Committee and International Thoroughbred Breeders Federation. Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) is the charitable arm of TOBA. TOBA Media Properties, a subsidiary of TOBA, is the co-owner of BloodHorse LLC. TOBA is represented on the board of directors of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium as founding members.