Craig Fravel, who served as the executive vice chair for The Stronach Group's 1/ST Racing, is leaving the company and becoming a partner and senior advisor with Southern California-based Brown Advisory, the global, private and independent investment management firm said in a release early Thursday.
Beginning in late 2019, Fravel was hired to lead 1/ST Racing as its chief executive during the equine fatality crisis at Santa Anita. His tenure also included presiding over the sale of Pimlico Race Course and the closing of Golden Gate Fields.
Prior to that, Fravel was the President and CEO of the Breeders' Cup, from 2011 through 2019, and President of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club where he worked from 1990 to 2011.
“We are very excited to have Craig join our firm. He has a demonstrated track record of success and trust–he knows how to bring people together and get things done,” said Mike Hankin, president and CEO. “Craig's thoughtful approach to finding solutions combined with his connections, network and expertise in and beyond horse racing will be very valuable to our clients.”
Also, Fravel served on the board of Equibase and while at the Breeders' Cup he was a member of the board of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.
“After a rewarding career in the Thoroughbred racing industry, it is thrilling to have an opportunity to bring the skills and relationships developed over the years to Brown Advisory as it expands its presence in California,” said Fravel. “While I am deeply grateful for the experiences and friends I have enjoyed in racing, it is a great time for me and my family to undertake a new challenge. The culture, integrity and excellence I have personally witnessed in my interactions with Brown Advisory and its colleagues in recent years gives me confidence that the next chapter will be as fulfilling as the last.”
Fravel is on the board of The Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, the Southern California Equine Foundation and the Dolly Green Research Foundation. On the roll of The Jockey Club of America, he chairs that organization's Thoroughbred Safety Committee and he is also a Breeders' Cup member.
Brown's latest hire started his career at the San Diego law firm of Luce, Forward, Hamilton and Scripps after graduating from the University of Virginia School of Law.
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