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CDI Names Gary Palmisano Executive Director of Racing

Gary Palmisano, Jr. has been promoted to Executive Director of Racing for Churchill Downs Incorporated, the company announced Monday. In this role, CDI says Palmisano will “support and enhance the Company's commitment to the U.S. Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry as well as focus on the implementation of standards and processes outlined in the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act” across CDI racing properties.

“Gary brings a wealth of varied industry experience that ideally positions him for success in this role,” said Bill Mudd, President and Chief Operating Officer at CDI. “In addition to strong relationships with key stakeholders, his unparalleled passion and vision for this sport will ensure that Churchill Downs and its racing assets remain progressive leaders in a rapidly-evolving industry.”

Prior to this promotion, Palmisano served in multiple roles at Churchill Downs Racetrack including Special Assistant to Track President, VIP Player Services Manager and, most recently, Director of Race Day Operations. Palmisano started his professional career in racing in Louisiana where he gained experience at Fair Grounds Race Course and with the Louisiana State Racing Commission.

“This opportunity is a lifelong dream realized for me,” said Palmisano. “Having grown up in the barn area of Fair Grounds Race Course with my dad, the late Gary Palmisano, Sr., being a longtime trainer and racing official, I quickly knew that racing would be my life's passion. Ever since moving to Louisville to pursue an Equine Business Degree at the University of Louisville and beginning my work as an intern at Churchill Downs Racetrack, I've maintained a focus on amassing as much knowledge as I could so I could serve the industry I love in a capacity like this.”

Palmisano's appointment as Executive Director of Racing will be effective immediately.

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Thoroughbred Owner Conference Session Focuses On Benefits Of Racing Clubs

Representatives from three successful racing clubs joined the seventh session of the Thoroughbred Owner Conference series on Tuesday, Sept. 7, to talk about the perks of participating in Thoroughbred ownership through racing clubs and through microshares. The panelists were Michael Behrens, MyRacehorse; Mary Cage, WinStar Stablemates; and Gary Palmisano, Churchill Downs Racing Club.

Tuesday's session was sponsored by MyRacehorse, the Daily Racing Form, and Mersant International Ltd. and moderated by TVG's Simon Bray. The conference series is hosted by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and presented by Bessemer Trust, Dean Dorton Equine, Stoll Keenon Ogden, and Stonestreet Farm.

The panelists talked about the origins and structures of their groups, which range from enabling individuals to buy microshares in one horse at a time (MyRacehorse) to being able to pay for leasing rights to the club's entire roster of horses (Stablemates). They also all shared success stories of shareholders who entered Thoroughbred ownership through their respective racing clubs and then went on to expand their involvement in racing and breeding.

“Our goal from the get-go is to create new owners, even when Stablemates first started and was just a fan initiative, to educate these people on the industry and everything behind the scenes, that has been the goal, to prepare them for things like this,” Cage said. “Stablemates has given them that opportunity to explore racehorse ownership, and we have had several go out on their own.”

Palmisano pointed out that more than 100 Churchill Downs Racing Club members have progressed into other forms of ownership. Last year, MyRacehorse launched Edge Racing, which is a more traditional syndicate model and is designed for those who want to take ownership a step beyond MyRacehorse's microshare structure.

“I have no doubt that [racing clubs] are becoming the breeding ground for the next generation of ownership,” said Behrens.

The racing clubs represented in the session all have plans in place for when their horses retire from the racetrack. While the WinStar fillies go on to breeding careers, MyRacehorse and the Churchill Downs Racing Club have relationships with aftercare organizations to place horses and raise money in support of those organizations.

“At the end of the day, these horses need to have a great home. Whenever you buy a horse, you need to have a plan,” Palmisano said. “The ending has to be written too, well in advance.”

All three panelists agreed that anyone joining a racing club or microshare membership should do so for enjoyment, entertainment, and to gain experience before moving into other forms of ownership.

The next session of the series, “Biomechanics in Racehorses,” will be held on Tuesday, October 5, at 2 p.m. ET. It is sponsored by Sackatoga Stable, Silver Springs Stud, and WinStar.

All sessions will be recorded and made available to registered guests. There is no registration fee for the live or recorded virtual conference series, but registration is required.

In addition to the virtual series, OwnerView will be hosting an in-person Thoroughbred Owner Conference in Del Mar, California, on November 3, to coincide with the Breeders' Cup World Championships. Registration information is available on the OwnerView website. Registration information and schedules for both the in-person and virtual conference are available at ownerview.com/event/conference or by contacting Gary Falter at gfalter@jockeyclub.com.

OwnerView is a joint effort spearheaded by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to encourage ownership of Thoroughbreds and provide accurate information on aspects of ownership such as trainers, public racing syndicates, the process of purchasing and owning a Thoroughbred, racehorse retirement, and owner licensing.

The need for a central resource to encourage Thoroughbred ownership was identified in the comprehensive economic study of the sport that was commissioned by The Jockey Club and conducted by McKinsey & Company in 2011. The OwnerView site was launched in May 2012.

The post Thoroughbred Owner Conference Session Focuses On Benefits Of Racing Clubs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Churchill Downs Racing Club’s Warrior’s Club To Join TRF At Chestnut Hill Sanctuary

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) will welcome graded stakes winner Warrior's Club to the TRF Sanctuary Farm at Chestnut Hall through a generous $30,000 donation from the Churchill Downs Racing Club.

“The Churchill Downs Racing Club has been a real thrill and has generated hundreds of new Thoroughbred owners,” said Gary Palmisano, Churchill Downs Racing Club Director. “Warrior's Club has taken his members and the club on an incredible journey and he deserves, like all Thoroughbreds, to live out his days in a place where people can visit him and he can enjoy his retirement.”

Warrior's Club was the first horse for the Churchill Downs Racing Club which was started in 2016 and the son of Warrior's Reward took the 200 partners involved in his group on a whirlwind ride over the course of four years winning races at marquee tracks across the country with victories at Churchill Downs, Saratoga, Oaklawn and Keeneland. Trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, Warrior's Club amassed earnings of over $850,000 including a victory in the Grade III Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland Race Course and competed at the sport's highest level, even participating in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (GI).

The Churchill Downs Racing Club has a commitment to aftercare. Through the success of Warrior's Club on the racetrack, the group was able to purchase several other horses, all of whom have gone on to second careers and homes after racing. To date, the club has either claimed back or purchased back all but two horses, both of whom are actively still racing, to ensure safe and happy retirements.

On behalf of Warrior's Club and the Churchill Downs Racing Club donations also were made to Second Stride, New Vocations, the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and Thoroughbred Charities of America.

The TRF Sanctuary Farm at Chestnut Hall opened in April 2021. The farm, a first-of-its kind, was designed to give the Louisville community and fans from around the world a direct connection to the horses at the heart of horse racing. The new TRF Sanctuary Farm at Chestnut Hall will be the permanent home of 11 horses from the organization's national herd of 500 retired Thoroughbred racehorses. These “herd ambassadors” will serve as educators to tell the story of the long life and diverse second careers that await these equine athletes when their racing days are done. Located on nearly 30 acres of historic farmland in Oldham County and featuring a beautiful farmhouse restored to serve as an event venue, Chestnut Hall has been created for the express purpose of connecting Thoroughbred horses to the people of Louisville, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond. Starting mid-May, the farm will be open to the public for tours through Visit Horse Country and will be available as a unique venue for educational events and fundraisers for nonprofits across the Louisville community.