NTRA

Former U.S. congressman Tom Rooney is the new president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA). He released a statement Wednesday, which appears below. For more insight into Rooney's plans and priorities for the NTRA, watch or listen to the final 2021 Writers' Room podcast (links appear at the bottom of the story). Following is Rooney's Wednesday statement in its entirety: Horse racing has been in my family since long before I was born, and I've grown up with a passion for the sport. When I retired from...

Earle Mack, a former U.S. Ambassador, owner, breeder and founder of the Man O' War Project will be awarded the Eclipse Award of Merit in recognition for a lifetime of outstanding achievement at the 51st Eclipse Awards at Santa Anita Park on February 10. The announcement was made by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters (NTWAB). Over the course of his life, the press release reads, "the honorable Earle I. Mack, who has burnished a remarkable career serving his country...

TVG will televise live the announcement of the finalists in 16 horse and human categories for the 2021 Eclipse Awards this Saturday, Jan. 15 at 11:30 a.m. ET/8:30 a.m. PT, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, National Turf Writers And Broadcasters (NTWAB) and Daily Racing Form announced Thursday. The Eclipse Awards, honoring excellence in Thoroughbred racing, are voted upon by the NTRA, represented by member racetrack racing officials and Equibase field personnel, NTWAB and Daily Racing Form, and are produced by the NTRA. TVG also will televise live the 51st Eclipse...

Winners of the six Media Eclipse Awards for 2021 were announced Thursday and are as follows: Feature/Commentary Writing - Sandra McKee, Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred, "A Jockey's Life. Baltimore's Adams Set Riding Record in 1930"; June 2021. News/Enterprise Writing - Eric Mitchell, Bloodhorse.com, "Tracks Join Rallying Cry to End Cargo Shipping"; Aug. 24, 2021. Television - Live Racing Programming - NBC Sports, "The Breeders' Cup World Championships," Nov. 6, 2021 on NBC; Billy Matthews and Lindsay Schanzer, Producers. Television - Features - NBC Sports "Hot Rod Charlie," Apr. 30, 2021 on NBCSN;...

The NTRA Racecourse Managers' Conference and Workshop will be held Sunday through Tuesday, Mar. 6-8, at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada. An opening reception Mar. 6 will be followed by a day and a half of discussions and demonstrations. The full agenda for the conference will be released later this month, but confirmed speakers and topics include: Dennis Moore, Racetrack Consultant and Superintendent, will demonstrate the use of lasers for grade measurements and how to check grades on horse racing and arena surfaces; The...

It's a hell of a time in racing to become the new head of one of the sport's foremost national organizations, but new National Thoroughbred Racing Association president and CEO Tom Rooney says he's ready for the challenge. Wednesday morning, the former U.S. congressman joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland's final show of 2021 as the Green Group Guest of the Week to discuss what the NTRA's top priorities will be under his stewardship, how his previous experience on the Hill can benefit the industry, what he thinks...

Newly-appointed NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney joins the final TDN Writers' Room podcast of 2021 to discuss how his D.C. background can help racing.

Charles Churchill, a University of Kentucky senior majoring in Equine Science and Management from Louisville, has been named the recipient of the 2021/2022 Joe Hirsch Legacy Equine Academy Scholarship. Churchill, who completed an internship with the Keeneland track maintenance team during the summer of 2021, is a member of the UK Horse Racing Club, the UK Collegiate Professional Horsemen's Association and a Wildcat Wrangler, the student ambassador team within the equine major. The scholarship was originally established at UK in 2005 but to keep in step with current industry needs,...

Edited Press Release New research findings on contest player habits, case studies on the impact of contests at several racetracks, including Kentucky Downs and Hawthorne Race Course, and a perspective from a longtime contest player highlight the upcoming National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Contest Workshop this coming Monday, Dec. 6. The workshop, which will be held in the Catalina Ballroom - Salon L, will begin at 3:00 p.m. MST, and is part of the 47th annual University of Arizona Global Symposium on Racing. Any registered symposium attendee will receive a $500...

U.S. Congressman Andy Barr, a Kentucky Republican who represents Lexington, has reintroduced the Equine Tax Fairness Act, which, if passed would make changes to the tax laws favorable to horse owners and breeders, it was announced by his office Wednesday. The bill calls for new regulations that would make the three-year depreciation schedule permanent for racehorses, no matter their age when put into service. Currently, Congress must reauthorize this provision in the tax law on an annual basis. The legislation would also reduce the holding period for equine assets to...

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...

Edited Press Release Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas directed the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Tuesday to stop mass worksite raids and to take actions to promote a fair labor market by supporting more effective enforcement of wage protections, workplace safety, labor rights and other employment laws and standards. In accordance with a memorandum issued by Secretary Mayorkas, ICE, CBP, and USCIS will develop and update policies to enhance the Department's impact in supporting the...