The mission of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association is to improve the economics, integrity and pleasure of the sport on behalf of owners and breeders.
The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), based in Lexington, Kentucky is a national trade organization for Thoroughbred owners and breeders. TOBA was created in 1961 as a result of a merger between the American Thoroughbred Breeders Association and the American Thoroughbred Owners Association. TOBA’s mission is to improve the economics, integrity and pleasure of the sport on behalf of Thoroughbred owners and breeders.
Programs managed by TOBA include the American Graded Stakes Committee, Claiming Crown, Ownership Seminars, Breeding, Pedigree & Conformation Clinics, TOBA Owners Concierge, US-Bred and the Sales Integrity Program. TOBA, in collaboration with The Jockey Club, has also created a free information resource called OwnerView to provide pertinent information to new, prospective and current Thoroughbred owners. 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 Breeders Federation. Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) is the charitable arm of TOBA. TOBA Media Properties, a subsidiary of TOBA, owns The Horse magazine, Eclipse Press and is co-owner of Blood-Horse LLC, in a partnership with The Jockey Club Information Systems. TOBA is represented on the board of directors of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium as founding members. TOBA maintains a seat on the American Horse Council’s Racing Advisory Committee.
Dan Metzger, President
Dan Metzger was appointed TOBA President in July 1999. Dan represents TOBA on a number of committees, including the International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee (IRPAC), International Cataloging Standards Committee (ICSC), International Thoroughbred Breeders Federation and the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium (RMTC). He is also a board member of Blood Horse LLC and president of TOBA Media Properties. Dan also serves on the board of directors for the Bluegrass Sports Commission. Prior to joining TOBA, Dan directed communications, simulcasting, marketing services and licensing for Breeders’ Cup Limited and was general manager of Cawood Ledford Productions, a sports broadcasting and publishing company in Lexington. Dan is a 1984 graduate of the University of Kentucky. He is a past president of the Turf Publicists of America and previously served as an officer of the Thoroughbred Club of America.
Email: metzger@toba.org
Direct: 859-276-2299
Andy Schweigardt, Senior Director of Industry Relations & Development
Andy Schweigardt has been Director of Industry Relations and Development at TOBA since October 2000. He is currently the secretary of the American Graded Stakes Committee and is a director of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium. Prior to joining TOBA, he spent 10 years in finance and administration with Ernst & Young LLP and ReGen Biologics, Inc. He is a graduate of Manhattan College and The University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program.
Email: andys@toba.org
Direct: 859-277-5891
Meredith Downey, Director of Marketing & Education
Meredith joined TOBA as its Director of Marketing and Education in May 2017. She grew up in Woodford County, Ky. and graduated in 2010 from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Integrated Strategic Communications. Prior to joining TOBA, Meredith spent six years in the hospitality and tourism industry as a marketing manager, with a focus on event planning which included partnering with many leading horse farms and distilleries in Central Kentucky.
Email: mdowney@toba.org
Direct: 859-276-6793
Erin Crady, Executive Director, Thoroughbred Charities of America
Erin is a graduate of St. Lawrence University in New York and holds a Master of Arts in Media Communications. Prior to joining TCA, Erin was the director of marketing for TOBA. She previously worked as an Account Executive and Media Buyer for Group 5 Advertising in Gainesville, Fla. and as Account Executive for an online gaming company in New York, New York.
Email: ecrady@tca.org
Direct: 859-276-4989
Lesley Greathouse Kibler, Development Manager, Thoroughbred Charities of America
As Development Manager for Thoroughbred Charities of America, Lesley coordinates fundraising initiatives and donor relations. Lesley was born and raised in Midway, Kentucky on her family’s Thoroughbred farm, which makes her no stranger to the industry or the needs of Thoroughbreds and those who care for them. After working on the farm, she went on to work for various nonprofit organizations around Kentucky in development roles. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and currently resides in Lexington with her husband, daughter, and beloved dogs. She enjoys traveling, gardening, and a good book. Lesley is looking forward to being part of the TCA mission.
Email: lkibler@tca.org
Direct: 859-276-4989
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee oversees the regular business and management of the organization between meetings of the Board of Trustees. The 2019-20 Executive Committee is composed of five officers and two at-large seats. The five officers are: Brant Laue, (chairman), David O’Farrell (vice chairman), Dan Metzger (president), Doug Cauthen (secretary) and Greg Bensel (treasurer). The at-large seats currently include Everett Dobson and Billy Koch.
Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee is responsible for selecting the new candidates for possible election to the Board of Trustees. Also, this committee’s work includes the evaluation of incumbent trustees as to their possible candidacy for additional terms on the board.
The committee handles the actual invitations to new candidates, incumbent candidates, and the preparation of the election ballot which is mailed to the full membership each year in July. The three members are Brett Brinkman, Doug Cauthen and Billy Koch.
American Graded Stakes Committee
The American Graded Stakes Committee (AGSC) began in 1973 as an official working committee of TOBA. For the last 46 years, TOBA has been the custodian of the process of grading approximately 450 races meriting that status. The committee’s purpose is to maintain the integrity of the sales catalogue page when various graded races are listed. The buyers and sellers of Thoroughbreds need to make sure that Grade I, Grade II, Grade III and Listed races consistently represent the competitive field quality their grade indicates. The AGSC meets every December to review the five-year data on all eligible races. Each of the last five runnings of eligible races are viewed equally, but trends of improvement or decreasing quality are duly noted. The current members of the AGSC include six TOBA members: Everett Dobson (chairman), Barbara Banke, Reynolds Bell, Jr., Craig Bernick, Walker Hancock and J. Michael O’Farrell, Jr. and five Racing Official members: Kevin Greely, Rick Hammerle, Ben Huffman, Steve Lym, Martin Panza and Tom Robbins. Andrew Schweigardt serves as secretary to the committee.
TOBA provides owners and breeders with representation on the following international committees:
North American International Cataloguing Standards Committee
The North American International Cataloguing Standards Committee (NAICSC) establishes the requirements for non-listed black type races in sales catalogues produced in North America that are compliant with guidelines required by the Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers. J. Michael O’Farrell, Jr. and Dan Metzger represent TOBA on this committee.
International Thoroughbred Breeders Federation
The Federation holds a meeting at rotating sites with different countries serving as “host” every 18 months. TOBA will host the ITBF meeting from October 30-November 5, 2018 in Lexington, Ky. Sixteen countries are represented as Full Members. The agenda of the meeting centers on health, disease concerns, and breeding trends and techniques. Representatives from each country are assigned appropriate topics to research and prepare a written report in advance of the annual meeting. TOBA’s representatives are Dan Metzger and Dr. Peter Timoney.
International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee
The International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee (IRPAC) is comprised of representatives from the grading committees in Europe, United States, Canada, Asia and South America, breeders, International Federation of Horseracing Authorities and the Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers. The primary mission of IRPAC is to control enforcement of international criteria for grading races and implement quality control on existing Pattern or Grading systems. Dan Metzger and Dr. J. David Richardson represent TOBA on IRPAC.
Awards Committee
Price Bell
Terry Finley
Tanya Gunther
Billy Koch
Brant Laue
Eric Mitchell
David O’Farrell
Finance & Investment Committee
Greg Bensel
Everett Dobson
Sol Kumin
Brant Laue
Membership & Owners Committee
Stephanie Hronis
Jason Loutsch
Bernard McCormack
Kenny McPeek
Charlie O’Connor
Mike Rogers
Strategic Planning Committee
Joe Appelbaum
Mike Caruso
Everett Dobson
Marshall Graham
Sol Kumin
Brant Laue
Garrett O’Rourke
NTRA Board Representative
Reynolds Bell, Jr.
Article I – OBJECTS AND PURPOSES
1. The objects and purposes of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, Inc. (the “Association”) are:
a. To improve Thoroughbred breeding and racing,
b. To gather and disseminate information which can be used to improve conditions, practices or methods employed in the breeding, raising, selling and racing of Thoroughbreds;
c. To investigate, report and eliminate in any lawful way all practices detrimental to the Thoroughbred industry;
d. To promote and maintain mutual understanding and respect between the public and Thoroughbred industry;
e. To advise with national, state and local governments on matters affecting the Thoroughbred industry; and
f. To assist, promote and encourage cooperative effort among Thoroughbred owners, breeders and others to achieve the foregoing objects and purposes.
2. For any purposes of the Association and not for pecuniary profit, the Association shall have the following powers:
a. To take, own, hold, deal in, mortgage and otherwise give liens against, and to lease, sell, exchange, transfer, or in any manner whatever, to dispose of real property, within or without the State of Delaware, wherever situated;
b. To build, purchase or obtain by devise, gift or otherwise, any and all real and personal property within or without the State of Delaware wherever situated.
c. To enter into, make and perform contracts of every kind for any lawful purpose;
d. Without limitation as to amount, to borrow or raise moneys, to draw, make, accept, endorse, discount, execute, pledge, issue, sell or otherwise dispose of promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange, warranties, bonds, debentures and other instruments, whether negotiable or non-negotiable, transferable or non-transferable, and evidences of indebtedness, whether secured by mortgage or otherwise, either alone or jointly with any other person or corporation, or the whole or any other part of the property of the corporation to be acquired; to confer upon the holders of any of its obligations such power, rights and privileges as from time to time may be deemed advisable by the Board of Trustees; except as may be specifically prohibited by law, to lend money with or without collateral or other security;
e. To edit, print, publish and distribute any letters, bulletins, papers, periodicals or books, and to produce and disseminate by any other means of communication information of value to Thoroughbred owners and breeders;
f. To have one or more offices to conduct business, carry on its operations and promote its objects and purposes both within and without the State of Delaware and in other states of the United States without restrictions as to place or numbers; and
g. To do all and everything necessary and proper for the accomplishment of any of the purposes or the attainments of any of the objects or the furtherance of any of the powers hereinbefore set forth, and not for pecuniary profit, either alone or in association with other corporations, firms, or individuals, and to do every other act or acts, thing or things, incidental or appurtenant to or growing out of or connecting with the aforesaid objects or powers, or any part or parts thereof, provided the same be not inconsistent with the laws under which the Association is organized.
The enumeration herein of the objects and purposes of this Association shall be construed as powers as well as objects and purposes, and shall not be deemed to exclude by inference any powers, objects or purposes which this Association is empowered to exercise, whether expressly by force of the laws of the State of Delaware now or hereinafter in effect, or impliedly by the reasonable construction of said laws.
Article II - PRINCIPAL OFFICE
Article III - MEMBERSHIP
Article V - BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Article VI - OFFICERS
Article VII - COMMITTEES
Article VIII - CONTRACTS, LOANS, CHECKS AND DEPOSITS
Article IX - BOOKS AND RECORDS
Article X - FISCAL YEAR
Article XI - SEAL
Article XII - WAIVER OF NOTICE
Article XIII - FUNDS OF THE ASSOCIATION
Article XIV - INTERPRETATION
Blood-Horse LLC
Its mission is to serve the equine owner and breeder with integrity and improve Thoroughbred breeding and racing. Blood-Horse LLC strives to do so through its Thoroughbred magazines, various digital products and services and the BloodHorse.com website.
Blood-Horse magazine is its flagship publication. Since its founding in 1916, the publication has blossomed into the Thoroughbred industry’s premier international weekly news and information magazine and web site for racing and breeding. Coverage includes race reporting, comprehensive analysis, events, trends, debate, farm management, pedigrees, people, profiles, medication issues, investigative reports, breeding news and information, and anything else that is newsworthy and important to the racing and breeding industry.
In addition, Blood-Horse LLC publishes Auction Edge, the industry’s leading Thoroughbred auction sales supplement; numerous annual professional products, and a number of publications such as Keeneland magazine, New York Breeder magazine and California Thoroughbred magazine through its Custom Publishing Division.
The Horse Media Group
For more than a dozen years, The Horse: Your Guide To Equine Health Care has been essential reading for responsible horse owners and caretakers. Written for hands-on owners and managers of any breed or discipline and overseen by a board of the American Association of Equine Veterinarians (AAEP), this monthly publication provides current, understandable, and practical equine health care information on equine health, care, management, and welfare.
Eclipse Press
Eclipse Press is an internationally acclaimed publisher of over 80 top Thoroughbred and general equine books and educational videos.
FLAIR Strips
FLAIR Strips are self-adhesive strips that promote optimum respiratory health of equine athletes at all levels by reducing airway resistance and providing improved airflow when your horse needs oxygen most. During exercise when horses begin to breathe hard, the soft tissues overlying the nasal passages are sucked in, reducing the airway diameter. This reduction in diameter causes greater resistance to airflow into the lungs. FLAIR Strips gently support the soft tissues over the nasal passages providing reduced airway resistance during exercise. By reducing airway resistance during exercise, FLAIR Strips help prevent fatigue related injuries, help protect the lungs from injury and bleeding and promote optimal athletic performance.
Racing Europe
For 13 years as a TOBA partner, Racing-Europe has been conducting high quality trips to the top events in Europe and elsewhere. We’ve gone racing at dozens of venues in England, Ireland, France, Germany, Argentina, and Australia, and seen the great classics — including the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, French Derby, Arc de Triomphe, Royal Ascot, Irish Champion, Glorious Goodwood, Argentine Derby, and the Melbourne Cup. Our travelers have made many new and lasting friends, both here and overseas. Our trips always include visits to training areas and farms, and atmospheric luxury hotels. In addition to our customary European destinations, we have plans in the works for trips to New Zealand, Japan, and Hong Kong in the near future. We invite you to join us as we explore racing and breeding around the world. Please see our website at racing-europe.com or call us at (800) 261-0499.
Daily Racing Form
Find expert handicapping analysis, video, online horse wagering, breaking news and more. DRF has been giving horseplayers the tools to win big since 1894.
Dr. J. David Richardson, Chairman
He previously served as president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. He owns 12 broodmares and currently has eight horses in training. Dr. Richardson is chief of surgery at the University of Louisville Hospital and vice chair of the Department of Surgery. He is the current president of the Board of Regents for the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Richardson serves on the TOBA board of trustees and is the chairman of the American Grades Stakes Committee.
Peter S. Willmott, Vice Chairman
Rosendo Parra, Vice Chairman
Mr. Parra retired from a career in the high technology industry in early 2007. He spent 14 years at Dell in numerous senior executive roles including senior vice president and general manager of Dell Americas. He is the founder of Daylight Partners (Venture Capital) and is a member of the board of directors of PG&E. He is currently a member of the TOBA board of trustees and the executive committee.
Michael McMahon, Secretary
Mr. McMahon founded McMahon Bloodstock LLC in 2001 and formed McMahon and Hill Bloodstock, LLC with his business partner Jamie Hill in 2010. In the 16 years since, the firm’s loyal customers have raced, bred and sold 200 stakes horses including 63 graded stakes horses. While pinhooking and breeding have been the hall mark of McMahon’s experience in the horse business, McMahon and Hill Bloodstock is also well known for the weekly flyer “The Bottom Line” a seasons and shares offering of the week’s hottest stallions and for “Bourbon Lane Stable” a zero markup partnership open to the racing public.
Mr. McMahon has served as president of the New York Thoroughbreds Breeders and vice president of the Belmont Child Care Association. He currently serves on the board of the TOBA and as President of the TCA. He has served as a member of his class council at Cornell University and recently was name ia member of the University Council at Cornell University. His family operates McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, New York’s longest continually operating Thoroughbred farm. He is married to Natanya Nieman DVM and the couple have two children, Madison and Aidan. The McMahons live on WinStar Farm in Versailles, Ky., where Natanya is the resident veterinarian. The couple also operates Spruce Lane Farm in Versailles, KY.
Craig Bernick, Treasurer
Glen Hill Farm raced such horses as Relaunch, Convenience and One Dreamer and more recently, Banned, Marketing Mix, Pontchatrain, and Diversy Harbor. He is an officer of the Lavin Family Foundation which supports education, after-school and health programs in Chicago and around the country. A graduate of Tulane University, Mr. Bernick was an executive at Albert-Culver Company before entering the horse business.
Dan Metzger, President
Dan Metzger was appointed TOBA President in July 1999. Dan represents TOBA on a number of committees, including the International Cataloging Standards Committee, the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium and the International Breeders Meeting.
Prior to joining TOBA, Dan directed various aspects of communications, simulcasting, marketing and licensing for Breeders’ Cup Limited and was general manager of Cawood Ledford Productions, a sports broadcast and publishing company in Lexington. Dan is a 1984 graduate of the University of Kentucky. He is a past president of the Turf Publicists of America, previously served as an officer of the Thoroughbred Club of America and serves on the board of directors of the Winner’s Federation.
Everett Dobson
Everett Dobson is the owner of Cheyenne Stables and Candy Meadows Farm. He began racing horses in 1996. Cheyenne Stables races at many tracks around the country deploying a variety of trainers.
Cheyenne Stables currently has about 30 horses in training. Candy Meadows is primarily a commercial broodmare farm located in central Kentucky. Mr. Dobson is also a minority owner in Three Chimneys Stallions. He is vice chairman and a trustee for TOBA serving on the executive committee and American Graded Stakes Committee. He serves on the board of stewards for The Jockey Club and is a member of Breeders’ Cup Ltd. Mr. Dobson is a trustee of the Keeneland Association. Mr. Dobson is the chief executive officer of Dobson Technologies, a fiber optic transport business based in Oklahoma City. He serves as chairman for the Dobson Family Foundation. He has been a member of the board of directors for the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum since 2000 and served as chairman in 2012 and 2013. He is owner of Oak Tree National Golf Club and a minority owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Mr. Dobson grew up in Cheyenne, Oklahoma before attending Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) where he graduated with a B.A. in Economics. He has served his alma mater as a member of the SWOSU Foundation board of directors since 1991. He and his wife, Jeanetta, split their time between Kentucky and Oklahoma. They have three daughters and four grandchildren.
Joe Appelbaum
Joe Appelbaum purchased his first horse in 2001 and 15 years ago founded Off The Hook LLC – a breeding, racing and sales company. Off The Hook has raced and developed dozens of stakes winners over the last decade, most notably, Breeders’ Cup and Eclipse Award winner Informed Decision. Off The Hook graduates can been seen winning all over the world as millionaires Zivo, Gamdonguibada, and A Shin Wezen can attest. United Nations (G1T) winner Turbo Compressor raced in the Off The Hook name and G1 winners from the Off The Hook graduate ranks include El Deal, Paola Queen and Zipessa. Mr. Appelbaum has worked with breeders, owners and trainers throughout the country and has won races in 12 states.
Mr. Appelbaum currently serves as president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and is a board member of the New York Jockey Injury Compensation Fund and trustee of TOBA. Mr. Appelbaum graduated from Yale University and has had three careers; coaching college football (working with Wayne Chrebet and Victor Cruz) founding Oasis Children’s Service LLC and now with Off The Hook. He lives in New York with his wife and
two children.
Barbara R. Banke
In addition to the flagship Kendall-Jackson and La Crema wineries, Mrs. Banke and her family shaped over two dozen small, high-image wineries located across Sonoma, Napa, Monterey, Santa Barbara and Mendocino counties as well as wine estates in Bordeaux, Tuscany, Chile and Australia.
Mrs. Banke is a UCLA and Hastings Law School graduate as well as a former land use and constitutional law attorney, spending more than a decade arguing cases before the United States Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal.
Mrs. Banke also raised three children, Katie, Julia and Christopher Jackson. Her Stonestreet Stables raced Horses of the Year Curlin (2007 and 2008) and Rachel Alexandra (2009), as well as homebred Eclipse Award winner My Miss Aurelia. A leading commercial breeding operation, Stonestreet Farm has produced the winners of 20 Graded Stakes since its inception in 2005. A member of The Jockey Club and Breeders’ Cup Ltd., Mrs. Banke serves on the boards of the Racing Hall of Fame and the Belmont Child Care Association.
Clifford Barry
Mr. Barry also values his association with the stallion Maria’s Mon, sire of Kentucky Derby winners Monarchos and Super Saver. Mr. Barry currently serves as president of the board of KTA/KTOB and trustee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. He has been a member of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers’ Club since 1991, having served two terms as director and two terms as treasurer and honored as “2007 Farm Manager of the Year”.
Mr. Barry is a past director of the Thoroughbred Club and a current member of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. Mr. Barry and his wife are breeders of multiple Graded Stakes winners High Limit and Soldat.
Antony Beck
Mr. Beck graduated from London University in England and has been actively involved in the Thoroughbred industry for 32 years, owning and operating farms in England and South Africa. Mr. Beck is director of Graham Beck Wines, his family’s wine company in South Africa, and currently serves on the board of directors for Breeders’ Cup Ltd., Blood-Horse Publications and the NTRA Horse PAC. He also serves on the board of trustees of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and Transylvania University.
Antony, Angela his wife, and their five children make their home in Lexington on Gainesway Farm.
Price H. Bell, Jr.
Returning to Nashville he became involved in its blossoming downtown community revitalization. Always promoting and passionate about Thoroughbreds and Central Kentucky, in 2010 Mr. Bell jumped at the opportunity to return to Lexington and work with his father, Headley, at Nicoma Bloodstock – the consulting arm of Mill Ridge Farm. With conviction for the sport and believing in the great opportunity to develop our fan base, he became actively involved with many industry initiatives. Working with a key group of stakeholders, the not for profit Horse Country, Inc. was created to help fans connect with the horse and racing through experiences on Kentucky’s farms; he now serves as that organization’s president.
Mr. Bell is passionate about introducing people to the horse and celebrating the amazing animal that is the Thoroughbred. In addition to Horse Country, he serves on the board of the KTA-KTOB, Fayette Alliance and the NoLi CDC.
Brett Brinkman
Brett Brinkman, owner of Lemesa Stallions in Carencro, Louisiana is a licensed Thoroughbred trainer and Thoroughbred breeder. A native of Louisiana and raised in Williston, Florida, he grew up on a full-service Thoroughbred farm, Waldermar Farms, with his aunt and uncle, Joe and Betty King.
After attending college, he accepted a position as yearling manager at Arthur Appleton’s Bridlewood Farms in Ocala, Florida. During his seven years at Bridlewood he assisted in the selection of Serena’s Song as a weanling.
Following his tenure at Bridlewood Farms, Mr. Brinkman assisted Bill Heiligbrodt of Heiligbrodt Racing Stable in the management of his racing stable and equine holdings. While there he selected and developed such horses as Posse, Lady Tack, Four Gifts and other Graded Stakes winners. It was during this time that the Louisiana breeding program was growing and with the encouragement of Mr. Heiligbrodt and partners, he established Lemesa Stallions, a full-service breeding and race training facility.
Lemesa Stallions stands Yankee Gentleman in conjuction with Airdrie Stud and Flashpoint, whom is owned by Spendthrift Farm. Mr. Brinkman currently serves as a vice president of the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association and trustee of TOBA.
Mike Caruso
Doug Cauthen, Secretary
Thanks to a lifetime of experience in the Thoroughbred industry, Doug Cauthen brings a unique blend of hands-on experience and business management skills to the Thoroughbred industry. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kentucky in Equine Marketing and Management and graduated from the University of Kentucky law school in 1993. He briefly practiced law in Lexington with Wyatt, Tarrant and Combs before returning full-time to the Thoroughbred industry.
Mr. Cauthen currently owns and operates Doug Cauthen Thoroughbred Management, a full-service advisory consulting service, and is also a board member at Three Chimneys farm. He is currently a TOBA trustee, chairman of K.E.E.P. and a member of Breeders’ Cup Limited. Mr. Cauthen lives in Lexington with his wife Katie, and his daughter Campbell.
James Covello
Mr. Covello is an avid fan, handicapper and owner of horses. Some of the horses he has campaigned include Graded Stakes winners Lilacs and Lace, Testa Rossi, Swift Warrior, Power Alert and Falling Sky, Graded Stakes placed horses such as River Rocks and Citrus Kid and listed stakes winners Oscar Party and Majestic Affair. Mr. Covello has qualified for the National Handicapping Championship four times and is a frequent contributor on handicapping shows and websites. He has been a supporter of the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption program which has found good homes for the racehorses that he has retired.
Mr. Covello lives in New Jersey with his wife and three children.
Robert M. Devlin
Mr. Devlin was able to dedicate himself to his passion of horses after retiring as CEO and chairman from American General Financial Group in 2001. Since then he has enjoyed many more days at the track, primarily Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga, where he is also a member of the Saratoga Reading Room. He has brought a number of other racing fans into the game through Curragh Stables, campaigning horses such as Manuka Honey, winner of the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs and runner-up in the Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park; Harp N Halo, winner of the Avowal Stakes at Woodbine; Harlan’s Harmony, winner of the Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga and Caledonian, winner of the Lost in The Fog Stakes and the Jimmy Winkfield Stakes both at Aqueduct.
Mr. Devlin has served on a number of corporate boards, including Discover Financial Services, LKQ Corp and ConocoPhillips. He has also served as a trustee at both Tulane University and Boston College. He currently is a board member of the Irish
Arts Center and the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation. Mr. Devlin and his wife Kate live in New York City.
Terry Finley
Terry Finley is the founder and CEO of West Point Thoroughbreds, Inc. – the largest Thoroughbred partnership management company in the United States.
Mr. Finley grew the company from one investor and one claiming horse in 1991 to its current state of over 500 investors and more than 65 horses under his management. West Point horses regularly compete in elite races including the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Dubai World Cup and Breeders’ Cup World Championships. West Point’s Commanding Curve finished second in the 2014 Kentucky Derby and the company is a minority owner of 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming.
Mr. Finley has served on numerous Thoroughbred industry boards of directors including Breeders’ Cup Ltd., NTRA Horse PAC, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. He currently serves on the boards of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, the Thoroughbred Charities of America, Catholic Leadership Institute and the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund.
Mr. Finley graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from West Point and earned a Master of Science in Business Administration from Boston University. In 2014, he completed the Owner/President Management Program – a three-year executive education course at the Harvard Business School for CEOs and executive leaders. He lives in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. with his wife and business partner Debbie. His daughter Erin is the communications director and racing manager at West Point Thoroughbreds. His son Ryan is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and played professional soccer in the MLS and Europe.
Marshall Gramm
Marshall Gramm grew up in Washington, D.C. and, despite having no connection to horse racing, became interested in the sport from childhood because of the statistical and problem-solving aspects of betting. As an Economics Ph.D. and professor, his primary research focus is on gambling and betting markets. He has over a dozen academic publications related to the sport of horse racing.
Mr. Gramm bought his first horse in 2008. In 2010, he and Clay Sanders partnered together on their first horse and later co-founded High Point Thoroughbred Partners, the ninth-leading owner in the country by wins and leading owner at Parx Racing and Monmouth Park in 2013. In 2016 Gramm and Sanders co-founded Ten Strike Racing. Ten Strike Racing has won over 200 races at 24 different racetracks including seven stakes wins and was leading owner at Parx Racing in 2016 and 2017. Ten Strike Racing currently has more than 50 active partners and 50 horses in training. From a small breeding operation, Mr. Gramm has bred two stakes winners.
Drawn to the sport from his interest in handicapping, Mr. Gramm is an avid bettor and has qualified six times for the National Handicapping Championships (NHC). He finished ninth in the 2019 NHC and fifth in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge. He earned a B.A. from Rice University and a Ph.D. in Economics from Texas A&M University. A resident of Memphis, Tennessee, he is currently a Professor and Chair of the Department in Economics at Rhodes College. He serves on the board of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF).
John Greely IV
Mr. Greely has worked for Hall of Fame trainer Mack Miller and trainers Criquette Head, Alex Scott and Tom Proctor. While running Wintergreen, he has raised and sold such top horses as Borrego, Timber Country, Favorite Trick, Fort Wood, Pollard’s Vision and Five Star Day. He is a graduate of the Baylor School in Chattanooga as well as the University of Kentucky.
Stephanie Hronis
Stephanie Hronis, part of the Eclipse Award-winning ownership Hronis Racing family, has been swept up by horse racing and its many facets. She was born and raised into agriculture in California’s Central Valley and returned after attending college. Stephanie received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Deaf Studies and Master of Arts Degree in Education with an emphasis in School Counseling. She was in education for over 20 years as a school counselor for kindergarten through adult aged students, adjunct college and university instructor and Family Resource Center director. From this experience and her upbringing, she has a passion for life-long learning, earning your place “on the planet”, in-depth understanding of an organization or task she is involved with and especially the opportunity to collaborate with others.
Ms. Hronis cares about the backside workers and their well-being. Because of this, she is honored to be on the board of directors for the Edwin J. Gregson Foundation. During the past seven years, horse racing has become a significant part of her life. Due to the great respect for their trainer, John Sadler, the family’s stable has grown rapidly since her husband Kosta and his brother Pete founded Hronis Racing, LLC in 2010. They have campaigned Eclipse Award and multiple graded stakes winners Accelerate and Stellar Wind. Collectively, their stable has trained eighteen G1, fifteen G2 and eight G3 stakes winners. They have also won leading owner awards for Del Mar, Santa Anita and the Thoroughbred Owners of California. Ms. Hronis attends the races regularly and has quickly learned much about the sport. She has great regard for the stable they have built. Her respect towards the horses and the advancement of the industry are her priorities.
She and her husband Kosta enjoy their family and sharing the racing experience with them when possible. Together they have five children; Demetri (Marcie), Hailey (Kyle), Nia, Kailee and Corey and four grandchildren; Adoniah, Nikoletta, Kosta and Alexandria. They adore them each greatly.
Billy Koch
Billy Koch was first introduced to the world of horse racing when he was six-years-old. His grandfather, the late Hollywood legend Howard W. Koch (Airplane, Ghost), owned Telly’s Pop with partner Telly Savalas (Kojak).
After graduating from Northwestern University, Mr. Koch put together partnerships with friends and became convinced sharing the experience of horse racing was more rewarding than owning alone.
He founded the Little Red Feather Racing Club (LRF), named for a fictitious Indian chief who was the centerpiece of his grandfather’s bedtime stories, in 2002 with one horse. Since that time LRF had campaigned Grade 1 stars Singletary and Egg Drop.
LRF is currently considered the largest racing club in California with over 300 active partners and 25 horses in training. Mr. Koch has served on the board of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and currently serves on the board of Carma, the California Retirement Management Account.
Solomon Kumin
Mr. Kumin currently serves as a director on the board of Starwood Property Trust (“STWD”). He also serves on the boards of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, The Fessenden School in Newton, MA, The Trust Board at Boston Children’s Hospital and Team Impact in Quincy, MA. He is currently serving as Chairman of the US Lacrosse Foundation Board and is a member of the Johns Hopkins University Lacrosse Advisory Board.
Mr. Kumin is also a member the Breeders’ Cup Board, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association Board, and the Belmont Child Care Association Board.
Mr. Kumin holds a BA in political science from Johns Hopkins University.
Brant Laue, Chairman
Mr. Laue is the owner of Laue Ranch Racing Stable, a Kentucky-based racing and breeding operation. He entered racing through a partnership in 1996 and started his own stable in 2000. He has raced three homebred stakes winners, including Grade I winner Gun Salute and Grade II winner Glorious View, as well as two other stakes winners selected as yearlings. He is a partner in a Kansas family ranching operation that breeds and markets purebred Charolais cattle and Quarter Horses.
A graduate of the Cornell Law School, Mr. Laue practiced law in Kansas City for 25 years, previously served in the U.S. Justice Department and currently serves as chief counsel to the governor of Kansas. He is the former chairman of The American Royal Association, president of the Kansas Charolais Association and chairman of the rules and ethics committee of the American-International Charolais Association. Mr. Laue was the TOBA “Member of the Month” in June 2013.
Kevin Lavin
Jason Loutsch
Jason Loutsch is a native of Des Moines, Iowa and his passion for the sport of horse racing has never been higher. Loutsch, the general manager and owner of Albaugh Family Stables beside his father-in-law Dennis Albaugh, is a longtime Iowa Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association member.
Albaugh Family Stables has fielded Kentucky Derby horses in three of the last four years. Loutsch, an admirer of Thoroughbreds since childhood, purchased his first horse in 2005 – Miss Macy Sue. She produced Liam’s Map and Not This Time. Loutsch has been addicted to the sport ever since.
Away from the track, Loutsch is a local businessman who specializes in real estate and digital media. A father of two girls, Loutsch is a 1998 graduate of Iowa State University.
Bernard McCormack
Mr. McCormack also served as a member of Equine Canada’s industry committee and acted as an advisor on the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse advisory committees to the Ontario Racing Commission. He is a member of The Jockey Club of Canada.
Mr. McCormack and his wife Karen started their Cara Bloodstock horse operation in 1996 and purchased their own farm, Mapleshade, in 2004. In 2008 the first sales agency horses under the Cara Bloodstock banner were offered and it presently offers consignments to most of the major sales. A recent milestone was breeding and selling the winner of the Queen’s Plate in 2016. The farm is home to 10 mares and their offspring which are offered through the agency in both Canada and the United States.
Kenneth McPeek
Mr. McPeek has found and/or trained such quality racehorses as Dream Empress, Curlin, Einstein (Brz), Flashy American, Frac Daddy, Golden Ticket, Harlan’s Holiday, Hard Buck (Brz), Her Temper, Java’s War, Kathmanblu, Leah’s Secret, Noble’s Promise, Prince Arch, Pure Fun, Repent, Rosalind, Salty Strike, Sarava, She’s A Devil Due, Sweet Talker, Tejano Run, Take Charge Lady, War Dancer and Wild Desert, among others. Mr. McPeek has won over 155 stakes so far in his career with over 50 of them Graded.
Mr. McPeek earned his first Graded Stakes win in the 1994 Grade II Beaumont Stakes with Her Temper. In 2002, he gained his first Grade I stakes win with Harlan’s Holiday in the Florida Derby and then won his first Toyota Bluegrass Stakes. That same year, he also earned his first Classic win, with Sarava in the 2002 Belmont Stakes. He has won back-to-back Spinster Stakes with Take Charge Lady in 2002 and 2003 and back-to-back Gulfstream Park Breeders’ Cup Handicaps with Hard Buck (Brz) and Prince Arch in 2004 and 2005. Other Grade I victories include the Travers Stakes, Hollywood Starlet, the Ashland Stakes twice, Dixiana Breeders’ Futurity and the Darley Alcibiades Stakes three times in his career. He races primarily at Keeneland, Churchill Downs, Gulfstream Park, Saratoga and Belmont Park, as well as keeping a division at his Magdalena Farm in Lexington.
David O’Farrell, Vice Chairman
David O’Farrell serves as manager of Ocala Stud, the farm that his grandfather, Joe O’Farrell, started in 1956 and is currently the oldest active Thoroughbred farm in the state of Florida. The farm is among the leading stallion, breeding and training operations in the nation and sells its entire crop each year at the two-year-old in training sales. The farm currently stands 12 stallions, owns approximately 50 broodmares and breaks approximately 100 yearlings each year for clients in addition to the farm’s crop.
Ocala Stud sold its first entire crop of juveniles in 1958, a tradition that the farm continues to this day. Ocala Stud has bred and sold more than 155 stakes winners to date and was named TOBA’s 2012 National Breeder of the Year.
A graduate of Erskine College, Mr. O’Farrell is involved in all aspects of Ocala Stud’s operations including: breeding, training, two-year-old sales consignment, stallion management, stallion season sales, stallion recruitment, broodmare acquisition, advertising, etc. He is a member of Breeders’ Cup Limited and also serves on the TAA board of directors and is a trustee of
TOBA. Mr. O’Farrell and his wife Allison have three children, Maggie (10), Annie (8) and John (6).
Charlie O’Connor
Mr. O’Connor also owned and managed a successful seafood bar and restaurant called “The Moorings” for three years in Co. Waterford before moving to Kentucky. Earlier in his career, he worked for David Mullins at Donninga Farm before moving to work for Audley Farm in Virginia. Mr. O’Connor is an avid golfer and racing fan and is a member of the Thoroughbred Club of America. Married to his wife Debbie of 12 years, they have two sons, Jack and Max, and live in Versailles, Ky.
Garrett O’Rourke
Mr. O’Rourke helped form the Kentucky Equine Management Internship to attract and coach future management for farms. He is past president of Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA/KTOB) and currently serves on the board of KTA and Breeders’ Cup Ltd. and was a past board member of Gluck Equine Research Center.
Mr. O’Rourke also owns Braffini Farm. Mr. O’Rourke’s wife Rhonda is an equine veterinarian and partner at Hagyard Equine. His father Willie was a veterinarian and was later managing director of Tattersalls Ireland.
Kenneth Ramsey
Mr. Ramsey is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and is currently on the board of trustees of Union College in Barboursville, Kentucky. Prior to horse racing Mr. Ramsey was involved in the trucking business, real estate and the cellular phone business, but his greatest passion has been horses since he was a little boy and saw the Twins Spires in Louisville.
Mike Rogers
Mr. Rogers started his career in the horse racing industry more than 27 years ago. In the early days, he held various positions including hot walker, groom and jockey’s valet. He later became a licensed owner and breeder of Thoroughbreds and in 1996, became a sports agent representing jockeys in Canada and United States.
In 1998, Mr. Rogers joined Adena Springs as business manager and for the past 16 years has been actively involved in the Thoroughbred operations of owner and breeder Frank Stronach. He also commits his time to serving on numerous industry boards including the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Thoroughbred Racing Associations, Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau, Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium.
Bryan Sullivan
Before pursuing Let’s Go full-time in the fall of 2007, Mr. Sullivan spent seven years working for The Clinton Group, a New York based hedge fund. He has spent the last 15 years working closely with the father-son due of J.J. and Todd Pletcher and credits them for his understanding and knowledge of the game. He is a Fairfield University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.
Mr. Sullivan is actively involved in the Thoroughbred community, as he currently serves on the executive board of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. He currently resides in Rumson, New Jersey with his wife and four daughters.
Jack Wolf
Mr. Wolf and his wife, Laurie, entered the Thoroughbred business in 2000 by founding Starlight Stables. In their first year of racing they campaigned multiple Grade I winner Harlan’s Holiday. Starlight also owned and campaigned 2012 undefeated two-year-old champion Shanghai Bobby, two-time Eclipse Award winner and 2014 Hall of Fame electee Ashado, 2007 Kentucky Oaks runner-up Octave and undefeated Graded Stakes winner Algorithms.
Mr. Wolf orchestrated the launch of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), the industry’s first broad-based initiative dedicated to helping retired Thoroughbreds. Mr. Wolf serves as board president of TAA and also serves on the board of trustees of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. The Wolfs split their time between Louisville, Ky. and Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Greg Bensel, Treasurer
Mr. Bensel oversees and manages GMB Racing – the horse racing operation for Gayle Benson, a multi-million dollar horse business which she started in 2014. Three of GMB Racing’s horses – Tom’s Ready, Mo Tom and Lone Sailor, have competed in the Kentucky Derby. GMB Racing currently has nearly 25 horses in the racing stable that include veteran five-year olds as well as up and coming yearlings. In addition, Mr. Bensel works with the staff at Benson Farm at Greenwood Lodge in Paris, Ky. managing and planning breedings for the current Benson Farm broodmare band.
Mr. Bensel is senior vice president of communications for the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans. Mr. Bensel has also worked on the NFL public relations staffs for three Super Bowls. Prior to joining the Saints, Mr. Bensel was director of media relations for the Super Bowl XXXI Host Committee and the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. He has also served on the media committee for the NCAA Men’s Final Four, the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament and the Sugar Bowl. He is a New Orleans native who graduated from Jesuit High School and Tulane University.
Robert J. Edwards Jr.
Robert Edwards is a Florida businessman who over the last two decades has successfully founded and sold pharmaceutical companies and pharmaceutical assets. Engaged in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of generic pharmaceuticals Mr. Edwards has expanded his generic offerings to the animal market. Currently, he is the founder and CEO of e5 Pharma, LLC and Old Everglades Distillery which looks to break ground in Broward County mid-2018.
In 2015 Mr. Edwards attended his wife Kristine’s family reunion in her hometown of Saratoga, N.Y. and was introduced to horse racing by a business partner and friend. What started as one New York-bred purchase quickly turned into a quality stable of weanlings, yearlings, horses in training and a solid broodmare band. Mr. Edwards and his e5 Racing Thoroughbreds, LLC stable has had an unbelievable streak of luck winning four stakes races before earning their first Maiden Special Weight. The stable’s most remarkable stat is winning three Breeders’ Cup Races in two years. Mr. Edwards holds a BS in Business from Lynn University and is a U.S. Army Reserve Veteran.
Tanya Gunther
Born in Vancouver, Canada, Tanya Gunther was raised on a small farm in the horse-oriented town of Langley, British Columbia. Miss Gunther grew up around horses, learning to ride at a young age and competing in the hunter/jumper/equitation world in addition to being a frequent attendee at the races from an early age with her father, John Gunther, mother Karen and siblings Nicky and Spud. After attaining a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia and a Masters in Finance from London Business School, Miss Gunther pursued an investment-banking career in London, focusing on equity capital markets and mergers and acquisitions. Miss Gunther then made the decision to give it all up to follow her heart and pursue her passion for Thoroughbred horse racing.
Miss Gunther left London for Kentucky in 2007 with the sole goal of helping her father breed a champion racehorse one day at Glennwood, his 350-acre farm based in Versailles, Ky. Miss Gunther has combined her analytical background with her love for horses, avid interest in pedigrees, and hands-on approach to help breed and raise top-level equine athletes at the farm and also expand their focus to include a select group of horses being bred in Europe. A number of remarkable horses have been bred during this father-daughter joined forces period, with the ultimate achievement embodied in the 2018 Triple Crown winner, Justify.
Walker Hancock
Walker Hancock, the son of Seth and Debbie Hancock, is the fifth generation of Hancock’s to run his family’s Claiborne Farm. The farm was established in the early 1900’s when A.B. Hancock Sr. transferred his operation from Virginia to Paris, Ky. Claiborne has won Eclipse Awards as leading breeder in 1979 and 1984, Eclipse Award of Merit in 2001 and has been the premier North American breeder by money won 10 times.
Claiborne has been a part of Walker’s entire life as he learned to work and handle horses at the early age of eight. After attending Sayre School in Lexington, he went on to attend the University of Florida where he majored in Animal Sciences with a minor in Agricultural Sales and Marketing. During summer vacations from school, Walker would work at Claiborne with the yearling sales prep team. As a requirement from his major, he needed to fulfill an internship within his
respective industry. Walker had the opportunity to fill that obligation in the summer of 2010 working alongside the Keeneland Sales Inspection team.
Upon graduation from Florida in May of 2012, Walker went to work for trainer Al Stall, first at Saratoga, then at Keeneland. For the 2013 breeding season, Walker was the resident vet technician at Claiborne. Once the breeding season ended, he spent time shadowing his father, Seth, as well as Claiborne’s farm manager Bradley Purcell, taking a larger role in the Keeneland September Sale consignment as well as day-to-day farm operations. In early 2014, Walker became the president of Claiborne Farm and Seth Hancock became chairman of the board.
