Backer, a retired advertising executive and co-founder of Backer & Spielvogel, owns Smitten Farm near The Plains, Va; McNair owns Stonerside Stable and is majority owner of the Houston Texans; Nicholson is president and CEO of the Keeneland Association; Siegel is chairman of The Macerich Co., a real estate investment trust; Thayer, a partner in the law firm Macfarlane Ferguson and McMullen, is president and treasurer of Tampa Bay Downs; Vessels is president of the American Quarter Horse Association and owns and operates Vessels Stallion Farm in Bonsall, Calif.; and Young is the chairman and president of W.T. Young, a diversified company and serves as managing owner of Overbrook Farm near Lexington.
The Jockey Club has elected seven new members: William Backer, Robert McNair, Nick Nicholson, Mace Siegel, Stella Thayer, Frank "Scoop" Vessels III, and William T. Young Jr.