NHC Strategic Planning Underway
DEL MAR, Calif. (Saturday, August 22, 2015) – Judy Wagner, the first and only horseplayers’ representative on the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Board of Directors, was re-appointed to a three-year term at the organization’s Annual Meeting held Friday at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. Wagner, Secretary and Chairman-elect of the Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI) and a member of the Louisiana Racing Commission, joined the NTRA Board in 2014. Earlier this year, Wagner visited Capitol Hill to advocate for important tax changes for horseplayers.
Board members elected to one-year terms were Reynolds Bell Jr. (Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association); Robert Clay (The Jockey Club); Alan Foreman (Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association); Craig Fravel (Breeders’ Cup Limited); Chris Kay (New York Racing Association); Joe Morris (Thoroughbred Owners of California); Bill Thomason (Keeneland Association); and Alex Waldrop (NTRA). The other members of the NTRA Board are Craig Dado (Del Mar), Dennis Drazin (Monmouth Park), Mike Rogers (The Stronach Group) and Scott Wells (Thoroughbred Racing Associations).
In addition to holding its Annual Meeting of the NTRA Board and NTRA Charities, the Board received an initial assessment of the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship (NHC). Now in its 17th year, the NHC has grown into one of the industry’s most high-profile non-racing assets.
“The NHC is a valuable and unique property created, owned and operated by the NTRA,” said Waldrop, President and CEO of the NTRA. “The goal of the assessment is to position the NHC in a way that will enhance its stature and further its popularity among horseplayers and participating organizations. The NHC is one of the great success stories in Thoroughbred racing over the past 17 years and a great example of what the industry can accomplish when it works in a collaborative way.”
The Board also received updates on the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, NTRA Advantage sales program, NTRA Communications and NTRA mid-year financials.
Also on Friday, Waldrop, NTRA COO Keith Chamblin and Wagner participated in a federal legislative briefing attended by approximately 30 individuals, including horseplayers, owners and breeders and industry officials. Updates were provided on issues that included tax fairness for horseplayers, renewals for racehorse and bonus depreciation, medication, immigration and Internet gaming.
About the NTRA
The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing through consensus-based leadership, legislative advocacy, safety and integrity initiatives, fan engagement and corporate partner development. The NTRA owns and manages the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, NTRA.com, the Eclipse Awards, the National Handicapping Championship, NTRA Advantage, a corporate partner sales and sponsorship program, and HORSE PAC, a federal political action committee. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and New York City. NTRA press releases appear on NTRA.com, Twitter (@ntra) and Facebook (facebook.com/1NTRA).