Gregory C. Avioli was appointed interim chief executive officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and Breeders' Cup Limited June 8 during a joint meeting of the two boards in Garden City, N.Y. During this period, the boards will continue their ongoing discussions concerning the structure of the relationship between the two organizations beyond 2006.The 41-year-old Avioli currently serves as chief operating officer and interim chief financial officer of the organizations. He will assume his new duties on July 1. D.G. Van Clief Jr., current NTRA commissioner and CEO and Breeders' Cup president, will assume the role of chairman emeritus to both boards. In that capacity, he will work on issues related to corporate strategy and future planning.
In other business, the boards authorized the NTRA to coordinate a comprehensive review of horse racing safety issues and to form a panel to conduct the review. The boards also received reports on legislative activities, communications, television, sponsorship and finance.