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National Museum of Racing Photo Exhibit Opens, TDN’s Sara Gordon Included

Photographers from eleven states and Ireland, including TDN's Sara Gordon, are represented in the fifth annual Photo Finish exhibition on display through Feb. 4 in von Stade Gallery at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York, the repository said in a release Wednesday.

The display features select amateur and professional photographs that document the Thoroughbred racing experience from the farm to the track.

Gordon, TDN's Social Media Manager, was honored with her work entitled “The Next Generation,” which was taken May 10 at Godolphin's Gainsborough Farm in Versailles, Kentucky.

Judges from the racing and arts communities include:

Sally Jeffords, Collections Committee Chair
Zachary Richards, NYRA
Skip Dickstein, Photographer
Chris Goodlett, Kentucky Derby Museum

Click here for exhibit's online version.

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Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Handed Out At Keeneland Tuesday Night

Winners were named across seven categories with a total of $122,000 awarded at the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, now in its eighth year in the United States, which concluded Tuesday evening at Keeneland Racecourse's Entertainment Center, Godolphin said in a press release after the event.

For the first time this year, in addition to the three finalists in each category, two alternates were also chosen and received monetary rewards. Todd Schrupp, FanDuel TV analyst, served as the master of ceremonies.

Tom Law, Saratoga Special Managing Editor and this year's judging panels chair, commented, “The winners and finalists honored at this year's ceremony, along with the alternates, are truly great representatives of the hard-working individuals in our industry. It's been said many times that they are the backbone of the industry that we all love; and it's absolutely true. And speaking for myself, as well as my fellow judges, we'd like to express our admiration for all the nominees and what they do for our sport.”

The Awards are primarily sponsored by Godolphin in partnership with the National HBPA, TOBA, The Jockey Club, and Breeders' Cup. Media partners are the TDN, BloodHorse Publications, Daily Racing Form, The Paulick Report, Fox Sports, Real Players Inside the Backstretch and FanDuel.

This year the awards received additional monetary and collateral support from category sponsors NYRA, 1/ST Racing, Keeneland, Hallway Feeds, NTRA, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute and Churchill Downs.

The winners of the Leadership, Breeding and Racing, the Support Services, as well as the Administration category, will receive a prize of $7,500 to the winner, and their farm/stable also receives $1,000. Two finalists are each awarded $2,500, and their respective farms/stables receive $1,000. Separate from the winner and two finalists, two runners-up receive $2,000 each.

The winner of the Newcomer Award will receive $5,000 and $1,000 to their farm/stable. Two finalists are each awarded $2,500. Two alternates receive $1,000 each.

The winner of the Community Award will receive a prize of $7,500 with an additional prize of $2,500 going to the charity of their choice. The runner-up will receive $2,500. Two alternates will receive $1,500 each.

The full list of winners, finalists and alternates are:
Newcomer Award, sponsored by NYRA
Winner: Dominick Merritt, Exercise Rider, Todd Pletcher
Finalists: Deja Robinson, Ed Brown Society and Nursing Staff Technician with Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital; Sara Gordon, Social Media Manager, Thoroughbred Daily News
Alternates: Adrianne Devaux, Cherie Devaux Racing Stable; Susan Kemper, Coolmore America/Ashford Stud

Support Services Award, sponsored by 1/ST Racing
Winner: Bill Vest, Backside Security Manager, Churchill Downs
Finalists: Rita Cutler, Security Guard, New York Racing Association; Tracy Attfield, Owner, TLore Management
Alternates: Raul Gutierrez, Santa Anita Park; Julie Adair, Farm Owner

Katherine McKee Administration Award, sponsored by Keeneland
Winner: Kelly Danner, Racing Operations Manager, Churchill Downs
Finalists: Jamie Bradley, Office Manager, Steve Asmussen Racing Stable; Samantha McGreevy, Sales Manager, Taylor Made Sales Agency
Alternates: Gwenn Pierce, WB Payson Park, LLC; Eleanor Poppe, New York Race Track Chaplaincy

Dedication to Breeding Award, sponsored by Hallway Feeds
Winner: Jimmy Tate, Assistant Broodmare Manager, WinStar Farm
Finalists: Phillip Hampton, Stallion Groom, Godolphin; Rafael Zambrano, Farm Manager, War Horse Place
Alternates: Harmon Sullivan, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption; Abel Garcia, Four Pillars Holding, LLC

Dedication to Racing Award, sponsored by the NTRA
Winner: Myra “Mickey” Hall, Groom, Herringswell Stables
Finalists: Kathy Sanchez, Assistant Trainer, Tom Amoss Racing Stable; Laura “Tils” Tilbury, Hotwalker, Todd Pletcher Racing Stables
Alternates: Carlos Davila, Craig Wheeler Racing Stable; Moises Morales, Groom

Leadership Award, sponsored by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute
Winner: Manuel Hernandez, Farm Manager, Walmac Farm
Finalists: Gene Guy, Farm Manager, Glencrest Farm; Loretta Lusteg, Assistant Trainer, John C. Kimmel Racing Stable
Alternates: Juan Aguilar, Indian Creek Farm; Christine Jones, Pleasant Acres Stallions

Dr. J. David “Doc” Richardson Community Award, sponsored by Churchill Downs
Winner: Linda Doane, Lifestyle Program Director, The Healing Place/Churchill Downs
Runner-up: Francisco Barrera, Backstretch Employee Service Team
Alternates: Merlin Cano, Backside Learning Center; Diana Varon, Keeneland Racetrack Chaplaincy

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Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Finalists And Runners-Up Named, TDN’s Sara Gordon A Finalist

The finalists and runners-up for the 2023 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards (TIEA), set for Tuesday, Oct. 17 at Keeneland, were named in a release by Godolphin late Thursday.

Sara Gordon, TDN's Social Media Manager, is a finalist for the Newcomer Award. Gordon, a native of Woodbine, Maryland, is a lifelong equestrian who parlayed her love of horses into a career in turf writing. She is based in Lexington, Kentucky.

With finalists in six categories, the winner and runner-up of the seventh category, the Dr. J. David “Doc” Richardson Community Award, have already been decided with Linda Doane of The Healing Place in Louisville, Kentucky awarded the top prize, and Francisco Torres, with the Backstretch Employee Service Team, placing second.

Out-of-town finalists and a guest will be provided with travel and accommodations, while those named will tour a local horse farm and attend a ceremony dinner before an afternoon of racing the following day at Keeneland.

The shortlist judging panel, the first of two, met on Tuesday, Aug. 1 to determine the finalists and runners-up in each category as well as the Community Award winner and finalist. Their meeting was hosted by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York. The second and final stage of judging will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 17, when finalists will meet with the judges for in-person interviews.

Panel Chair Tom Law commented, “It's hard to put into words what it means to be involved with these awards. Everyone in our industry knows someone that works tirelessly, day-in and day-out, to take care of our magnificent two-legged and four-legged friends because they love what they do. The nominees, year-on-year, are a tremendous group, and while we wish we could reward them all, I do hope they feel honored that someone thought enough about them to submit a nomination.

“I'd also like to thank the National HBPA, TOBA, The Jockey Club, Breeders' Cup, and Godolphin, without whose underwriting and support these awards would not be possible to implement. Lastly, a heartfelt thanks to our media partners--The Thoroughbred Daily News, BloodHorse Publications, Daily Racing Form, FanDuel, Paulick Report and America's Day at the Races–for helping to spread the reach of the awards.”

Sponsors of the awards include Hallway Feeds, NTRA, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Keeneland, NYRA and Churchill Downs, and first-time sponsor 1/ST Racing.

The winners of the Katherine McKee Administration, Dedication to Breeding, Dedication to Racing, Leadership and Support Services Awards will receive a prize of $7,500, with an additional $1,000 to their farm, stable or organization, with two finalists receiving $2,500 each and $1,000 to their farm, stable or organization as well. For the first time in 2023, separate from the winners and two finalists, two runners-up will receive $2,000 each.

The winner of the Newcomer Award will receive $5,000 with $1,000 going to their farm, stable, or organization. Two finalists will receive $2,500 each, and separate from the winners and two finalists, two runners-up receive $1,000 each.

As the winner of the Dr. J. David “Doc” Richardson Community Award, Linda Doane will receive a prize of $7,500 and an additional prize of $2,500 will be donated to the charity of her choice. Francisco Torres will receive $2,500 as the other finalist in this category, and separate from the winners and finalist, two runners-up receive $1,500 each.

The 2023 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards finalists are:
Katherine McKee Administration Award sponsored by Keeneland

Kelly Danner, Churchill Downs
Samantha McGreevy, Taylor Made Sales Agency
Jamie Bradley, Asmussen Racing

Runners-up

Gwenn Pierce, WB Payson Park LLC
Eleanor Poppe, NY Race Track Chaplaincy

Support Services Award sponsored by 1/ST Racing

Bill Vest, Churchill Downs
Tracy Attfield, Tlore
Rita Cutler, NYRA

Runners-up

Raul Gutierrez, Santa Anita Park
Julie Adair, Self

Dedication to Breeding Award sponsored by Hallway Feeds

Jimmy Tate, Winstar Farm
Phillip Hampton, Godolphin
Rafael Zambrano, War Horse Place

Runners-up

Harmon Sullivan, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program
Abel Garibay, Four Pillars Holdings LLC

Dedication to Racing Award sponsored by National Thoroughbred Racing Association

Laura Tilbury, Todd Pletcher
Kathy Sanchez, Tom Amoss Racing Stable
Moises Morales, Gustavo Delgado

Runners-up

Myra Hall, Herringswell Stables
Carlos Davila, Craig Wheeler

Leadership Award sponsored by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute

Lorretta Lusteg, John C. Kimmel
Gene Guy, Glencrest Farm
Manuel Hernandez, Walmac Farm, LLC

Runners-up

Juan Aguilar, Indian Creek
Christine Jones, Pleasant Acres Stallions

Newcomer Award sponsored by New York Racing Association

Deja Robinson, Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital
Sara Gordon, Thoroughbred Daily News
Dominick Merrit, Todd Pletcher

Runners-up

Adrianne DeVaux, Cherie Devaux Racing Stable
Susan Kemper, Coolmore America, Ashford Stud

Dr. J. David “Doc” Richardson Community Award sponsored by Churchill Downs

Linda Doane, The Healing Place (Winner)
Francisco Torres, Backstretch Employee Service Team (Runner-up)

Runners-Up

Merlin Cano, Backside Learning Center
Diana Varon, Keeneland

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Sara Gordon Joins TDN

Sara Gordon has joined TDN as Social Media Manager, and will be based in Lexington, Kentucky.

Gordon, a native of Woodbine, Maryland, is a lifelong equestrian, but her passion for the Thoroughbred industry blossomed while working for Jane Allen's Warwick Equine Services LLC at Hickory Ridge Farms. Combining her passion for writing and horses, she attended Virginia Tech and received a Bachelor of Arts in multimedia journalism with a minor in equine science. Following her graduation in May of 2019, she was hired by the Maryland Horse Breeders Association as their Communications Manager, where she has spent the past three years overseeing the association's various social media accounts and websites, along with writing and photographing for the association's publication, Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred magazine. A highlight of her time with the MHBA was covering Maryland-bred Knicks Go's outstanding career, which earned him the title of Horse of the Year and older dirt male at the 2021 Eclipse Awards.

Gary King, TDN's Senior Vice President, said, “Sara's enthusiasm and passion for the industry are self-evident, and she will be a huge asset to our team. Social media is an integral part of our business now, and we are looking to further enhance our channels under Sara's guidance.”

Gordon will work alongside Diana Pikulski in TDN's social media department, with TDN's Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen contributing from Europe.

“I am absolutely honored to join the TDN team as its Social Media Manager,” said Gordon. “There's nothing I love more than sharing the stories of and promoting the remarkable people and horses that make up this industry. I can't wait to take all that I've learned working in Maryland and apply it on a global platform.”

“We are delighted to welcome Sara to the TDN team,” said TDN's Publisher Sue Finley. “She comes highly recommended from the MHBA and we have no doubt she will hit the ground running.”

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