University of Arizona

Veteran horseman and racing official Jason Egan was promoted as the Director of Racing and Racing Secretary for Santa Anita Park beginning Jan. 27. He served as the track's Racing Coordinator since 2020, and he was named to his new post after Chris Merz announced his desire to take a more expansive operational role in the racing industry. Additionally, Rick Hammerle will join 1/ST Racing as a consultant. After stops in California, New Jersey and Florida, he was most recently the Racing Coordinator at Oaklawn Park and Director of Racing...

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...

The Mark Thurman Endowed Scholarship in Racing has been established at the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program (RTIP) due to a donation from CHRIMS, a "not-for-profit, mutual benefits organization focused on providing technology solutions for the pari-mutuel gaming industry." CHRIMS made the donation to honor Mark Thurman's contributions to the racing industry upon his retirement as CEO. "Mark dedicated over three decades to building his vision of CHRIMS from a set of spreadsheets into a unique and powerful service critical to the operation of California racing," said Gunner...

Last month, James Keogh announced that Chance Timm would be joining him at his Grovendale Sales in a new partnership designed to expand their footprint in the sales consignment arena. Most industry people have dealt professionally with Timm at one time or another over his 15 years in the business, but while he has had some high-profile jobs, by and large, he has kept his head down and flown pretty much under the radar. He has preferred, as he says, to deflect the attention to the people he worked for...

Applications for the Odds On Racing Scholarship, a four-year, full-tuition scholarship award for new and transfer students to participate in the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program beginning this coming fall. "This is an incredible opportunity for students who may have thought that attending the University of Arizona to prepare for a career in racing was financially out of reach" said Robert Hartman, Chair of the Race Track Industry Program. "This scholarship covers all tuition costs of attending the UArizona's Race Track Industry Program." The scholarship is thanks to...

Brad Cox has won the 2021 Big Sport of Turfdom award, which recognizes a person or group of people who enhances coverage of Thoroughbred racing through cooperation with media and racing publicists, the Turf Publicists of America announced Wednesday. "What a year it's been for Brad Cox. Whenever there was a big race to cover, it was odds-on that a horse from his barn would be one to talk about," TPA President Wendy Davis said. "Brad's generosity with his time, allowing his story, as well as his horses' stories to...

The New York Racing Association launched the Elizabeth Bracken Memorial Scholarship to support and encourage students enrolled in the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program (RTIP) to secure careers in the Thoroughbred industry. The $10,000 scholarship, to be awarded annually, will be open to juniors and seniors who have completed one full semester in the RTIP and have expressed the desire to work in the Thoroughbred racing industry. The scholarship honors the memory of Elizabeth Bracken, an RTIP graduate who spent 16 years at NYRA before returning to RTIP...

Robert Hartman has been named the new chair of the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program. A graduate of the program himself, Hartman has held marketing and management positions at the New York Racing Association, Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields. His previous experience also includes serving as the Associate Athletic Director at the University of California, Berkeley and CEO of the American Contract Bridge League. "A traditional on-campus four-year education experience may not be the right fit for some prospective RTIP students," Hartman said. "We need to...

Grace Clark has been selected to receive The Jockey Club Scholarship and Eric DeCoster has been selected to receive The Jockey Club Jack Goodman Scholarship, The Jockey Club announced Tuesday. The Jockey Club Scholarship provides $15,000 ($7,500 per semester) to a student who is pursuing a bachelor's degree or higher at any university and has demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in the Thoroughbred industry. The Jockey Club Jack Goodman Scholarship awards $6,000 ($3,000 per semester) annually to a student at the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program (RTIP)...