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Breeding Plans, Final Topic Of ’23 Thoroughbred Owner Conference Panel

Breeding plans was the topic for the 10th and final panel of the 2023 OwnerView Virtual Thoroughbred Owner Conference, which was held Tuesday, Dec. 5, The Jockey Club said in a release Thursday.

Panelists were Carrie Brogden, owner of Machmer Hall Farm; Alan Porter, founder of TrueNicks; and Mark Toothaker, director of stallions at Spendthrift Farm. The panel was hosted by OwnerView's project manager, Gary Falter.

Topics for the breeding panel included matings, nicking, conformation traits, inbreeding, broodmare preferences and stallion selection.

The first question to the panelists referred to the saying, “breed the best to the best and hope for the best.”

“I can't afford beautiful and pedigree, so I'm always going to lean more on the pretty side on my mares, and they may be just a little bit lacking on pedigree,” said Toothaker. “Buy the prettiest mare that you can afford.”

Brogden considers conformation to be extremely important when making breeding decisions. “It is the most important thing,” she said. “After years and years and years of being on the farm now, we started to see a trend where every single graded stakes winner off our farm, on the dirt, every single one was in the top 30 percent of physicals of our yearling crop.”

The Thoroughbred Owner Conference virtual panels will continue in 2024 with a full schedule available early in the new year.

Click here to watch the presentation and view videos from previous topics.

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Letter to the Editor: `Give The Jockey Club to the Industry’

It is time for Stuart Janney to make his greatest gift to racing.

On Sunday afternoon, I received a text from a colleague alerting me that I should tune into 60 Minutes later that night to watch their feature, “Horse Racing Reform?”

Never before has it been more clear that as the sun begins to set on 2023, we are well past time to modernize the structure of The Jockey Club to make it accountable to all Thoroughbred industry stakeholders. The Jockey Club ought to be a fair representation of the industry and the industry should guide its future. No one man or family should have absolute control over The Jockey Club. In the current climate, it is no longer acceptable for industry participants to be kept in complete darkness.

We implore you, Mr. Janney, to give the greatest gift to those of us still in love with the greatest game by taking the CLUB out of the Club. Eliminate the secrecy. Change the structure of The Jockey Club so that industry stakeholders have the opportunity to elect the members and board who may in turn control the finances, agenda, and direction of the industry with a transparency beneficial to all.

Mr. Janney, give The Jockey Club to the industry.

–Max Hodge

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The Jockey Club Opens Applications for Internships, Scholarships

Applications for The Jockey Club's paid internship program for college students and recent college graduates and its five academic scholarship are now open, the organization announced on Tuesday.

The internship program, which offers experience to all facets of The Jockey Club's operations and takes place out of the Lexington, Ky office, offers three slots in the summer or fall based on preference and lasts eight weeks. Applications are being accepted through Jan. 5 with notifications announced in February.

The five scholarships will apply to the 2024-2025 academic year and range from $20,000 to $6,000 and are all for students pursuing careers in the equine industry, including one specifically for women and another for a member of a minority racial or ethnic group.

Those interested can visit The Jockey Club's website for more information and to find links to applications for the scholarships.

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Blaithin Murphy New General Manager At Wincanton

Blaithin Murphy has been named the new general manager of Wincanton Racecourse, The Jockey Club announced on Wednesday.

Part of The Jockey Club since 2021, Murphy recently completed the general manager trainee programme. The 25-year-old will succeed Jack Parkinson, who will remain as the general manager of Exeter Racecourse, a post he has held since 2017.

Murphy said, “I am delighted to be appointed general manager at Wincanton Racecourse. Racecourse management has always been a career ambition of mine and racing is a lifelong passion. I would like to thank everyone at The Jockey Club who has supported me so far with a special thanks to Jack Parkinson for the time and guidance he has given me.”

Nadia Powell, small courses director at The Jockey Club, said, “I'm delighted to welcome Blaithin as the new general manager of Wincanton. Her passion for racing and racecourse management is clear and I look forward to working with her to continue Wincanton's progress in the years to come.

“I'd like to thank Jack for his dedication to Wincanton and know he will continue to maximise Exeter's encouraging growth as a conference and events venue.”

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