from the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association
The Sales Integrity Task Force will receive the 2008 Industry Service Award from the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association during the TOBA National Awards Dinner Sept. 6 at the Lexington Center in Lexington.
The Sales Integrity Task Force reconvened in 2007 to develop industry consensus on licensing of bloodstock agents and consignors, transparency in ownership at auctions, and transparency in medication. The task force recommended a bloodstock agent code of conduct be added to the conditions of sale, voluntary ownership disclosure in an ownership registry, updated prohibited practices, and pushed for testing of anabolic steroids at the buyer’s discretion. All of these recommendations have been adopted by Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton.
Members of the 2007 task force receiving the special honor include John Adger (Stonerside Stables), Mike Akers (Dapple Bloodstock), Headley Bell (Nicoma Bloodstock), Jimmy Bell (Darley USA), Reynolds Bell Jr. (Reynolds Bell Thoroughbred Services), Wayne Boyd (Western Kentucky Horse Sales), Bill Casner (WinStar Farm), Robert Clay (Three Chimneys), Joe Costa (Tattersalls Sales), Charles “Redd” Crabtree (Crabtree Farms), Bruce Crowe (United Mountain Horse Association), Bill Farish (Lane’s End), Bill Heiligbrodt (Heiligbrodt Racing Stable), Jess Jackson (Stonestreet Farm), Ken Jackson (Kentuckiana Farms), Bill Landes (Hermitage Farm), Norman Luba (Kentucky Quarter Horse Association), Tom Ludt (Vinery), Reiley McDonald (Eaton Sales), Martha Jane Mulholland (Mulholland Springs Farm), Nick Nicholson (Keeneland Association), Denny Nunnelley (Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association), Frank Penn (Pennbrook Farm), Walt Robertson (Fasig-Tipton), Earl Rogers (Kentucky Walking Horse Association), Geoffrey Russell (Keeneland), Dermot Ryan (Ashford Stud), Satish Sanan (Padua Stables), Fred Sarver (American Saddlebred Horse Association), Fred Seitz (Thoroughbred trainer/Brookdale Farm), John Sikura (Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms), Mark Taylor (Taylor Made Farm), D.G. Van Clief Jr. (Fasig-Tipton), John Ward (Thoroughbred trainer), Jack Wolf (Starlight Stables), and Bayne Welker (Mill Ridge Farm). Alex Waldrop, president of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, was the moderator for the task force.
“The individual and collective contributions from all members of the Sales Integrity Task Force must be recognized for their selfless giving of time as well as their expertise,” TOBA president Dan Metzger said. “Our industry was facing a daunting challenge, and we responded with an unwavering commitment to integrity. The united and overwhelming support for the task force’s recommendations demonstrated that we can improve our industry by working together.”
TOBA manages the Sales Integrity Program, which implements the task force’s findings, provides public education, and manages communications.