AQHA Sets Up Lexington Office; Located Within NTRA

Release from the AQHA
The American Quarter Horse Association has opened a
satellite office in Lexington, Kentucky, which will be staffed by Keith Kleine, AQHA's senior manager of race marketing.

Kleine, who began working with AQHA in 1997 will continue his employment and working duties for AQHA as he serves as its liaison with the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, other racing entities and many other equine related organizations that call Kentucky home.

AQHA's Lexington office is located within the offices of NTRA and Breeders' Cup, Limited. In addition to his responsibilities with AQHA, Kleine will assist the NTRA and Breeders' Cup with a variety of projects including media relations, marketing and industry relations.

AQHA is a special affiliate of the NTRA and as such one of Kleine's duties will be to assist with the relationships of many racetracks that run both American Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds.

"When we developed our strategic alliance with NTRA, we were serious about being proactive in the horse racing industry," said Dan Fick, AQHA's Executive Director of Racing. "Establishing an AQHA office in Lexington where the vast majority of horse racing organizations are headquartered underscores our commitment to that objective. AQHA's Lexington office also will give us the chance to work even closer with those equine organizations in Lexington that are unrelated to horse racing. It's a winning situation no matter how you look at it."

"Keith's varied background and knowledge of the horseracing industry will be a major asset to the NTRA," said Keith Chamblin, NTRA's vice president, marketing and industry relations. "We have worked with Keith and others at AQHA on a weekly basis since the NTRA was formed. It will be good to have AQHA here to plan and assist us with various programs."

AQHA became a special affiliate of the NTRA in August of 1998. Since that time, AQHA and its member tracks and horsemen have participated in the NTRA's national co-op advertising program, national consumer promotions and legislative initiatives. Kleine also will assist in cooperative sponsorship development for the two organizations and coordinate AQHA track and individual memberships for NTRA.

AQHA, located in Amarillo, Texas, has registered more than four million American Quarter Horses and serves more than 332,000 worldwide Members.