The Jockey Club Elects Seven New Members

The Jockey Club today announced the election of seven new members: William Backer, Robert McNair, Nick Nicholson, Mace Siegel, Stella Thayer, Frank "Scoop" Vessels III, and William T. Young, Jr.

"We are delighted to have these seven individuals as members of The Jockey Club," said Ogden Mills Phipps, the chairman of The Jockey Club. "They have all demonstrated their passion for the Thoroughbred industry and we're confident that each of them will be actively involved in the various initiatives of The Jockey Club and its family of companies."

Backer, a retired advertising executive and co-founder of Backer & Spielvogel, owns Smitten Farm near The Plains, Va. He also serves on the board of directors of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation.

McNair owns Stonerside Stable and is majority owner of the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He serves on the board of trustees of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and on the board of directors of Breeders' Cup Ltd.

Nicholson is president and CEO of Keeneland Association. He serves on the Equibase Management Committee, the board of trustees of TOBA, and the board of directors of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America.

Siegel, chairman of The Macerich Company, a real estate investment trust, serves as director and secretary of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and on the board of directors of the NTRA. He races under the nom de course Jay Em Ess Stable with his daughter Samantha.

Thayer, president and treasurer of Tampa Bay Downs, is a Thoroughbred owner and breeder as well as a director and past president of the TRA and a member of the Thoroughbred Racing and Protective Bureau's Board of Directors. She is a partner in the law firm Macfarlane Ferguson and McMullen.

Vessels is president of the American Quarter Horse Association, for which he has served as a director since 1994. He owns and operates Vessels Stallion Farm in Bonsall, Calif., and also serves on the board of directors for the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association and the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association.

Young is the chairman and president of W.T. Young, a diversified company which also serves as managing owner of Overbrook Farm near Lexington. He is also a director of the Keeneland Association, Inc. and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.