Students enrolled in the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program (RTIP) can now apply for the 2023 Elizabeth Bracken Memorial Scholarship, which aims to support students aspiring to build careers in Thoroughbred racing, NYRA announced.
The scholarship was created in 2021 to honor the memory of Elizabeth Bracken, an RTIP graduate who spent 16 years at NYRA before returning to RTIP as Associate Coordinator and an instructor. Bracken died in November 2019; she was 52.
“We can't thank NYRA enough for their continued support of the RTIP via this scholarship and their sponsorship of the Global Symposium on Racing,” said RTIP Chair Robert Hartman. “NYRA has provided meaningful internship opportunities to RTIP students for decades, from my NYRA internship in 1992 to the present. The RTIP's unique blend of classroom and experiential learning prepares graduates to contribute to racing organizations on Day One. We are proud of our alumni that serve in leadership positions on the NYRA team to help further the organization's mission.”
The 2022 winner was Eric DeCoster, an RTIP senior from Chandler, AZ. DeCoster spent the summer interning at NYRA's racing office, at both Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course; and said he hoped to build a career in a racing office, ultimately as a racing secretary or director of racing.
The $10,000 annual scholarship will be split into two parts–with $5,000 awarded for the fall semester and $5,000 for the spring semester. Click here for more information.
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