LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 13, 2021) ― Alex Waldrop, who will retire at year’s end as President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), has been honored with the 2021 Clay Puett Award for outstanding contributions to the racing industry. The award, which was bestowed upon Waldrop at last week’s 47th Annual University of Arizona Global Symposium on Racing, was established in 1994 and is named after Clay Puett, an Arizona resident whose innovations, including the development of the mechanical starting gate, helped to revolutionize racing around the world.

Waldrop has had a distinguished career in the horse racing industry, serving as President of Churchill Downs and later as Chair of the equine, gaming, and entertainment practice group at the Kentucky-based law firm Wyatt Tarrant & Combs, where he served as the NTRA’s general counsel before joining the organization full-time in his current role.

Under Waldrop’s leadership, the NTRA grew its footprint in Washington, D.C., solidifying its position as the industry’s leading voice and the entity that represents all segments of the Thoroughbred industry on Capitol Hill. As the trade association for the Thoroughbred industry, the NTRA has focused its lobbying on legislation having a direct and material impact on its members and their business activities as they relate to horse racing, breeding and pari-mutuel wagering.

Support of and by horseplayers led to one of the biggest highlights during Waldrop’s time at the NTRA when in 2017 the U.S. Treasury Department formally adopted modernized regulations regarding the withholding and reporting of winning pari-mutuel wagers. The new regulations were the culmination of nearly a decade of work on Capitol Hill by the NTRA, and overnight resulted in dramatically reduced reporting obligations for horseplayers and practically eliminated withholding on winning wagers, allowing horseplayers to retain more of their winnings.

Waldrop also serves as President of NTRA Horse PAC®, the Federal Political Action Committee of the NTRA that has raised more than $5 million through voluntary contributions to support political parties and candidates for elective office at the federal level.

In 2008, Waldrop and the NTRA led an industry-wide effort that resulted in the creation of the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, an entirely new program and self-regulatory body that for more than a decade has identified and implemented national safety and integrity standards at many of the nation’s leading racetracks.

The NTRA’s group purchasing arm, NTRA Advantage, realized unparalleled success during Waldrop’s tenure. Advantage surpassed $1 billion in sales to the equine industry in 2019 and has provided nearly $200 million in savings to industry participants.

Earlier in Waldrop’s career, as President of Churchill Downs racetrack, he led the effort to develop a master plan for renovation of the historic Churchill Downs, which led to a $126 million modernization of the facility and paved the way for future capital investments on the property that continue to this day.

Clay Puett Award Recipients:

  • 2021 — Alexander M. Waldrop
  • 2019 — Cella Family
  • 2018 — Joe Harper
  • 2017 — Bob Curran, Jr.
  • 2016 — Pierre Bellocq
  • 2015 — Marylou Whitney
  • 2014 — Mary Scollay
  • 2013 — Michael Blowen
  • 2012 — Sherwood “Chilly” Chillingworth
  • 2011 — The Race For Education
  • 2010 — The Grayson–Jockey Club Foundation
  • 2009 — Richard Duchossios
  • 2008 — Jim McKay
  • 2007 — Stan Bergstein
  • 2006 — Jay Hickey and The American Horse Council
  • 2005 — WinStar Farm
  • 2004 — Trudy McCaffery
  • 2003 — Cothran ‘Cot’ Campbell
  • 2002 — The Mabee Family
  • 2001 — Joe Hirsch
  • 2000 — John Gaines
  • 1999 — The Vessels Family
  • 1998 — The Brady Family
  • 1997 — The Hancock Family
  • 1996 — The Phipps Family
  • 1995 — Allen Paulson
  • 1994 — Clement Hirsch