Equine Genomics, Ownership Among Topics for the 50th Round Table

Issues surrounding ownership, medication, equine genomics and the globalization of racing will be spotlighted when The Jockey Club's 50th annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing convenes at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Aug. 18.

Promoting Thoroughbred ownership will be addressed by John Amerman, the retired chairman and chief executive officer of Mattel who with his wife Jerry founded Amerman Racing in 1995; and Steve Duncker, a retired Goldman Sachs executive who is a member of the board of trustees for the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and New York Racing Association.

A progress report on the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium will be provided by Dr. Scot Waterman, executive director of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Racing Integrity and Drug Testing Task Force. TOBA chairman Gary Biszantz will follow with an owner's perspective.

Dr. Douglas Antczak will conclude the first half of the program with an examination of current research in equine genomics and the likely benefit to the Thoroughbred. Antczak serves as director of the James A. Baker Institute for Animal Health at Cornell University and is one of the organizers of the international Horse Genome Project.

For the second half of the program, the NTRA will examine issues and opportunities associated with the globalization of racing. Featured speakers will include Marquess of Hartington CBE, Her Majesty's representative and chairman of Ascot Racecourse; Tim Smith, NTRA commissioner and CEO; and D. G. Van Clief Jr., NTRA vice chairman and Breeders' Cup president.

The Conference opens with the traditional welcome by Ogden Mills Phipps, chairman of The Jockey Club, followed by a "Report of the Activities of The Jockey Club," presented by Alan Marzelli, executive vice president of The Jockey Club.

A transcript and audio replay of The Jockey Club Round Table Conference will be available on The Jockey Club web site a few days after the event. The web site is located at http://home.jockeyclub.com.