Jon Schuster, vice president and general manager of racing at Indiana Grand, was recently honored with the Hall of Distinction award at the annual Indiana Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (ITOBA) banquet held Sunday, April 15, 2018 at Indiana Grand. The award is the highest honor bestowed on an individual from ITOBA. Schuster was the third recipient of the prestigious award.
"I'm humbled and honored to be recognized by the folks in our game," said Schuster, who has been with Indiana Grand in leadership roles since its inception as Indiana Downs in 2002. "We value their support and partnership. I had been alerted about a presentation, but I didn't know exactly what the award was, and it was a nice surprise."
A native of Indianapolis, Schuster graduated from Warren Central High School and went on to receive his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona. He is also a graduate of the prestigious
University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program.
Prior to returning to Indiana, Jon held leadership positions in the horse racing industry for several years, including the position of pari-mutuel manager and simulcast coordinator at Penn National Race Course. An avid horse racing fan, Schuster was part of the initial team that opened Indiana Downs in December 2002 as the track's assistant general manager. He was promoted to general manager in February of 2003.
In 2013, Centaur Gaming Inc. acquired Indiana Downs, which now operates under the name Indiana Grand. Schuster was promoted to vice president and general manager of racing, his current role at Indiana Grand.
"We must remember the success enjoyed by the Indiana Thoroughbred industry is the result of many years of work," said Herb Likens, president of ITOBA. "Jon Schuster has been a part of Indiana throughout the building of our program. He has served in a variety of different aspects. We recognize Jon as our 2018 inductee into the ITOBA Hall of Distinction in honor and appreciation for his many contributions."
In addition to his leadership duties at Indiana Grand, Schuster was also appointed by the governor to serve on the Thoroughbred Breed Development Advisory committee and is a board member of the Indiana Horse Racing Association.
"The ITOBA event gets bigger and nicer every year," added Schuster. "Indiana had a real good year last season. It is very rewarding to see the Indiana horses make their way onto the national stage."
Jon and his wife, Janie, reside in Shelbyville, Ind. They have four daughters.
The 16th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing will begin Tuesday, April 17 and conclude Wednesday, Nov. 7. Racing will be conducted Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 2:05 p.m. EST with Saturday racing beginning at 6:05 p.m. EST. Two special Thursday racing dates will be held July 19 and Sept. 6 at 2:05 p.m. EST.
Industry News Releases - In support of Thoroughbred industry organizations, BloodHorse is posting news releases relating to the industry. The releases have not been edited by Blood-Horse. If there are any questions please contact the organization that has produced the news release as directed in the news release.