Carter Carnegie, senior vice president of sales of the Breeders’ Cup, has left the company after 10 years, Breeders' Cup Ltd. confirmed May 14.
"Breeders' Cup sincerely appreciates the contributions Carter has made to the overall growth of our organization and especially in creating one of the most successful sponsorship programs in the industry," said Craig Fravel, Breeders' Cup president and CEO, in a statement.
"On behalf of the Breeders' Cup Board, we thank Carter for his years of service and for his efforts and commitment over the last decade to ensure the Breeders' Cup remains one of the premier events in international sports,” added Tom Ludt, chairman of the Breeders' Cup board of directors, in a release. “His dedication and energy to improving the mission of this organization will be missed. It has been a pleasure working with him, and we wish him the best in his future endeavors."
Under Carnegie's leadership, Breeders' Cup entered into long-term marketing and licensing agreements with Grey Goose, Emirates Airline, Sentient Jet, TVG, and others.
"I wish to thank the staff, members, and directors of the Breeders' Cup for their support over the years,” said Carnegie in a statement. “I appreciate the strong relationships I developed working with many nominators, owners, and trainers both domestically and abroad during my time with the Breeders' Cup.
“With the recent completion of the NBC deal and planning for the championships this fall well underway, I feel it is the right time to pursue new challenges and wish the organization continued success," he added. "I especially want to thank those companies that have partnered with the Breeders' Cup during my time there, developing programs that benefited those organizations and the sport of Thoroughbred racing as a whole."
Breeders' Cup officials indicated they would begin the search for a replacement for Carnegie in the coming weeks, and that in the interim, Heather Higgins, vice president of corporate partnerships, will oversee sales and sponsorship duties.