Bill Knauf

Dan Illman has been named Director of Communications of the new Maryland Jockey Club. Previously a writer, correspondent, analyst and handicapper at Daily Racing Form, Illman will lead the organization's media relations department when the new TMJC, a non-profit entity under the auspices of the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority, assumes control of Maryland's day-to-day racing operations Jan. 1. "We are incredibly pleased to welcome Dan to the team at the new TMJC," said President and General Manager Bill Knauf. "He is a proven leader in the field of communications...

Bill Knauf, a long-time executive at Monmouth Park, has been named the president and general manager of the non-profit entity the Maryland Jockey Club Inc. that is set to take control of Maryland's two major Thoroughbred tracks starting Jan. 1. The announcement of his hiring was made by the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Authority (MTRA), a non-profit group modeled after the New York Racing Association, which operates racing at Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga. The Maryland tracks were transferred to the MTRA by The Stronach Group, which donated them to the state...

The GIII General George Stakes and GIII Barbara Fritchie Stakes highlight a 25-strong stakes schedule worth a combined $2.6 million for the winter/spring meet at Laurel Park. The seven-furlong events are part of a Feb. 15 card that also includes the John B. Campbell Stakes and Nellie Morse Stakes, each carrying a $100,000 purse. Three-year-old males and females feature on programs scheduled for Feb. 22, with the one-mile Miracle Wood Stakes for sophomore boys and the seven-furlong Wide Country Stakes for the girls. Those two events serve as lead-up races...

Bill Knauf, who has served Monmouth Park in a variety of roles--most recently its vice president of business development--for over a quarter-century, will take up the position of president and general manager of The Maryland Jockey Club Inc., a new 501(c) (4) organization to manage and operate Thoroughbred horse racing in the state. "We have found the perfect person to lead Maryland's groundbreaking efforts to reimagine and renew the racing experience," said Greg Cross, chairman of the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA). "Bill not only has operating experience, but...

FOX Sports will be the television home for Monmouth Park's 2024 racing season, which opens May 11 under a new partnership announced Monday by the New Jersey track and the New York Racing Association. In addition to the expansion in television coverage, NYRA Bets will become the title sponsor of the $1-million GI Haskell S. and the Pegasus S. Monmouth's signature race, the NYRA Bets Haskell S. will be run July 20. The NYRA Bets Pegasus S., the traditional local prep for the Haskell, will be contested June 15. America's...

The 67th Annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing, held at the Gideon Putnam Resort in Saratoga Springs, New York Aug. 11, will feature international perspectives as well as communications strategies in times of crisis, The Jockey Club announced on Thursday. The Jockey Club Chairman Stuart Janney, III will preside over the conference, which begins at 10 a.m. EST and will be aired on TVG2, www.tvg.com and live streamed on www.jockeyclub.com. A Q&A session with Arrowfield Stud's John Messara will be conducted by The Jockey Club's President and...