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Two New Members Selected to MHBA Board

The Maryland Horse Breeders Association has selected three incumbents and one new member to its 2023 Board of Directors. Incumbents returning to the board are Henry S. “Tim” Clark III, Charles C. Fenwick, Jr. and Thomas J. Rooney. William K. Boniface, who has previously served five separate terms on the board, returns. Lisa Hofstetter joins the board for the first time.

The five elected members join current directors George Adams, Amy Burk, Michael J. Harrison DVM, Michael Horning, Christine Holden, Ann B. Jackson, Grace Merryman, Kent A. Murray, Gina Robb and Adair B. Stifel.

The MHBA's annual General Membership meeting will take place June 23 at 12 p.m. at the Maryland Horse Library & Education Center in Reisterstown. Charlie Hoppa, the president of the Reisterstown Improvement Association, will serve as guest speaker.

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Congressman Rooney Named NTRA President & CEO

Thomas J. (Tom) Rooney, a former U.S. Congressman, has been named to succeed Alex Waldrop as the president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA). As has been previously announced, Waldrop will retire at the end of this year.

Rooney is an owner and breeder and has been part of his family's Shamrock Farm, a Thoroughbred breeding and lay-up operation in Maryland. The farm was founded by his grandfather, Art Rooney, Sr. He has also served on the board of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association for the past year. The Rooney family has been the majority owners and operators of the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers since 1933. Rooney family members also own the Palm Beach Kennel Club in Florida, owned Yonkers Raceway in New York until 2019, and owned former racetracks Green Mountain in Vermont and Liberty Bell in Pennsylvania.

“It is a great privilege for me to join the NTRA and serve as the organization's next leader,” said Rooney. “Having been immersed in horse racing my entire life, I know the issues and have a solid understanding of the needs of the industry. Coupled with my 10 years serving as a member of Congress, I know how to get things done in Washington, D.C. and look forward to increasing our advocacy efforts with our nation's lawmakers. I'm excited to join the team and look forward to working with all our member organizations to move our agenda forward.”

Rooney served with the U.S. Army as a lawyer in the JAG Corps. During his tenure, he was Special Assistant U.S. Attorney at Fort Hood, Texas, prosecuting all civilian crimes on post, and he served in the 1st Cavalry Division. After completing active duty with the rank of captain, Rooney taught constitutional and criminal law at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

“On behalf of the NTRA Board, I am excited to confirm Tom Rooney's appointment as the next president and CEO of the NTRA,” said Alan Foreman, Chairman and CEO of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (THA) and the NTRA Board member who led the NTRA's transition and search committee. “We are incredibly fortunate to have engaged such a talented and experienced individual as Tom as we position the NTRA to address the challenges facing our industry. I believe Tom's taking on this position will be a game-changer for the NTRA and the Thoroughbred racing industry. Tom's track record of experience and leadership will be invaluable as we move forward and as we expand our presence and advocacy on the federal level.”

In conjunction with Rooney's appointment, the NTRA will conduct a strategic review of the organization and its activities as it places additional focus on its role as the trade association for the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry. The NTRA plans to open an office in Washington, D.C., where it will focus primarily on federal legislative and policy issues. As part of his appointment, Rooney will also become President of Horse PAC, the NTRA's political action committee.

As a Congressman, Rooney focused on economic, agricultural, national security, and military issues. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida from 2009 to 2019. He served on the Committee on Agriculture, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence where he played a prominent role in the House Intelligence Committee's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Rooney lives in Florida with his wife, Tara, and three sons.

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Former Congressman Tom Rooney New NTRA President And CEO

Former U.S. Congressman Thomas J. (Tom) Rooney has been named the successor to Alex Waldrop as the president and chief executive officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), it was announced Thursday by the NTRA Board of Directors. As announced earlier this year, Waldrop will retire at the end of 2021.

A Thoroughbred owner and breeder who hails from one of America's great sporting families, Rooney has taken an active role for several years in his family's Shamrock Farm, a Thoroughbred breeding and lay-up operation in Woodbine, Md., founded by his grandfather, including serving on the board of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association since 2020.

“It is a great privilege for me to join the NTRA and serve as the organization's next leader,” said Rooney. “Having been immersed in horse racing my entire life, I know the issues and have a solid understanding of the needs of the industry. Coupled with my 10 years serving as a Member of Congress, I know how to get things done in Washington, D.C., and look forward to increasing our advocacy efforts with our nation's lawmakers. I'm excited to join the team and look forward to working with all our member organizations to move our agenda forward.”

“On behalf of the NTRA Board, I am excited to confirm Tom Rooney's appointment as the next president and CEO of the NTRA,” said Alan Foreman, chairman and CEO of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and the NTRA Board member who led the NTRA's transition and search committee. “We are incredibly fortunate to have engaged such a talented and experienced individual as Tom as we position the NTRA to address the challenges facing our industry. I believe Tom's taking on this position will be a game-changer for the NTRA and the Thoroughbred racing industry. Tom's track record of experience and leadership will be invaluable as we move forward and as we expand our presence and advocacy on the federal level.”

In conjunction with Rooney's appointment as president and CEO, the NTRA will conduct a strategic review of the organization and its activities as it places additional focus on its role as the trade association for the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry. As such, in the coming months the NTRA plans to open an office in Washington, D.C., where it will focus primarily on federal legislative and policy issues. As part of his appointment, Rooney will also become president of Horse PAC, the NTRA's political action committee.

Rooney has a deep background in racing and sports. He grew up attending the races with family members in his native Pennsylvania, as well as Maryland, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Led by his grandfather, Art Rooney Sr., the Rooney family has been the majority owners and operators of the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers since 1933. Rooney family members also own the Palm Beach Kennel Club in Florida, owned Yonkers Raceway in New York until 2019, and owned former racetracks Green Mountain in Vermont and Liberty Bell in Pennsylvania.

As a Congressman, Rooney focused on economic, agricultural, national security and military issues. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida from 2009 to 2019. He served on the Committee on Agriculture, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence where he played a prominent role in the House Intelligence Committee's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Prior to becoming a member of the House, Rooney served with the U.S. Army as a lawyer in the JAG Corps. During his tenure, he was Special Assistant U.S Attorney at Fort Hood, Texas, prosecuting all civilian crimes on post, and he served in the 1st Cavalry Division. After completing active duty with the rank of captain, Rooney taught constitutional and criminal law at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

He received his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law and became a member of the Florida Bar in 1999. He also has an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Florida. Rooney played football for Syracuse University and Washington & Jefferson College, where he earned a B.A. in English Literature.

Rooney resides in Palm Beach County, Fla., with his wife, Tara, and three sons, Tommy, Sean and Seamus.

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Maryland Horse Breeders Association Elects New Board Members

The Maryland Horse Breeders Association membership has selected one incumbent member, a 2019 presidential appointee and three new members to the 2020 Board of Directors.

Dictated by MHBA bylaws, the annually-held election fills five open seats on the board. Those elected will serve for the next three years. Bill Reightler, who served on the board from 2010 to 2015 and 2017 to 2019, is this year's only incumbent.

Ellen M. Charles – A prominent owner and breeder in Maryland who races as Hillwood Stables, this will be Charles first three-year term on the board. The granddaughter of Marjorie Meriweather Post, heiress to the Post cereal fortune, resides in Washington, D.C., and has served as president of the board of Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens for 25 years. Owner of Grade 3 winner Bandbox, who stands at Northview Stallion Station, Charles has her own herd of broodmares, horses of racing age and young stock. She had connections to three 2019 Maryland-bred champions as co-breeder/co-owner of Majestic Reason, owner of Cordmaker and breeder of Laddie Liam. A board member of Beyond The Wire and past board member of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, Charles hopes “to restore racing to its success before the pandemic and continue supporting breeders' bonuses and aftercare programs.”

Michael D. Golden DVM – A small animal veterinarian, Golden is the vice president of family-owned Northview Stallion Station and Sycamore Hall Farm in Chesapeake City (Cecil County), and will serve on the board for the first time. The Baltimore City resident has been involved in Thoroughbred breeding and racing since 1975, highlighted by homebred Clever Mind's win in the 2017 Maryland Million Nursery, and has owned the Veterinary Housecall Service and Clinic, based in Crofton, since 1997. While serving on the board, Golden aims to “support an agenda conducive to the growth and expansion of Thoroughbred breeding in Maryland, promote ongoing efforts to improve the safety of Thoroughbred racing, and help the transition of horses from racing to a second career when not suitable for breeding.”

A. Leonard Pineau VMD – Owner of Three Pines Farm in Glyndon (Baltimore County), Pineau has bred the likes of graded stakes winner Purely Hot and stakes winners Ten Out of Ten and Music City. A veterinarian at Aardmore Veterinary Hospital, Pineau is a member of the Maryland Veterinary Medical Association (VMA) and American VMA, while also serving as president of the Greater Baltimore VMA. President of Pet E.R. and board member of the McDonogh School, Pineau has the goal of “ensuring the highest standard of integrity, honesty and drug-free racing.”

William S. Reightler – Founder and president of Bill Reightler Sales and Consulting Agency, this is Reightler's fourth term on the board, having previously served from 2010 to 2015, and 2017 to 2019. The resident of White Hall (Harford County) owns Hillrise Farm with wife Barrie. Serving as part of the MHBA's Yearling Show, Building and Legislative committees, Reightler is also a board member of the Maryland Agricultural Commission, Maryland State Fair, Maryland Horse Council and Maryland Association of Wildlife Conservation. One of the leading Thoroughbred sales agents in the Mid-Atlantic region, Reightler plans to “continue the stewardship that has resulted in Maryland's achievement of creating a strong regional program for racing and breeding.”

Thomas J. Rooney – A former U.S. Congress member, whose family owns Shamrock Farms in Woodbine (Carroll County), Rooney was a presidential appointee to the MHBA board in 2019. Based in Tequesta, Fla., Rooney is an attorney, instructor of constitutional law at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and CEO of Home Safe, a shelter for abused and abandoned children in Florida. With a small breeding and racing program of his own, Rooney strives to “make sure owners and breeders with a small stable are represented.” After working at the top level of politics, he understands “in order to move forward in a productive way, you have to have an open mind and understand all points of view.”

Of the five directors whose terms expired in 2020, Larry Murray was ineligible to stand for reelection because of having served six consecutive years as a member of the MHBA Board. Those whose terms have not expired are Richard F. Blue Jr., Michael Harrison DVM, Christy Holden, Michael Horning, Louis Merryman, Sabrina Moore, Kent Allen Murray, James B. Steele, David Wade and Theresa Wiseman.

The election results, along with committee presentations, will be on the agenda at the MHBA annual general membership meeting, to be held virtually Monday, June 22, starting at 12 p.m., online via Zoom.

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