More than 340 attendees tuned in to the first session of the 2021 Thoroughbred Owner Conference series, which kicked off on March 2 with a panel dedicated to the economics of racehorse ownership. The conference series is hosted by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and presented by Bessemer Trust, Dean Dorton Equine, Stoll Keenon Ogden and Stonestreet Farm.
The first panel of the 10-session virtual series was sponsored by Keeneland and featured insights from owners George Bolton and Maggi Moss; Sarah Reeves, attorney and member, Stoll Keenon Ogden; and Jen Shah, tax director, Dean Dorton. The panel was moderated by horse racing television analyst Caton Bredar. Shah and Reeves delved into tax, legal and insurance considerations when involved in racehorse ownership and discussed the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on these issues.
Bolton and Moss talked about their experiences in different areas of racehorse ownership from the various costs to choosing a trainer to looking after a horse when its racing career is over. Both owners emphasized the importance of communication among all members of the team that makes up a racing stable.
“The first session of this year’s owner conference series got off to a great start, with early feedback from attendees indicating that it was ‘enjoyable,’ ‘informative,’ and ‘insightful,’” said Gary Falter, project manager for OwnerView. “We have content planned for the rest of the year that is designed to be helpful to owners of all experience levels, and I welcome those who have not yet signed up for this engaging conference series to do so.”
The second session of the series, “Selecting Your Thoroughbred Athletes,” will be held on Tuesday, April 6, at 2 p.m. ET. Sponsored by the New York Racing Association and moderated by Mike Penna of Horse Racing Radio Network, the panel will consist of Dr. Jeffrey Berk, Equine Medical Associates; Terry Finley, founder and chief executive officer, West Point Thoroughbreds; Ken McPeek, trainer; and Gayle Van Leer, Gayle Van Leer Thoroughbred Services.
All sessions will be recorded and made available to registered guests. There is no registration fee for the live or recorded virtual conference series, but registration is required. For more information about the owner conference series, including the full schedule of panels and registration, please visit ownerview.com/event/conference or contact Gary Falter at gfalter@jockeyclub.com.
OwnerView is a joint effort spearheaded by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to encourage ownership of Thoroughbreds and provide accurate information on aspects of ownership such as trainers, public racing syndicates, the process of purchasing and owning a Thoroughbred, racehorse retirement, and owner licensing.
The need for a central resource to encourage Thoroughbred ownership was identified in the comprehensive economic study of the sport that was commissioned by The Jockey Club and conducted by McKinsey & Company in 2011. The OwnerView site was launched in May 2012.
