The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Safety Committee convened for its initial meeting via teleconference late Wednesday afternoon to discuss the goals and objectives of the committee and to set meeting dates and timelines for the future.

All seven members had reviewed documents and recommendations that came out of the two Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summits in October 2006 and March 2008 prior to Wednesday’s call.

“Good work has been done in many areas over the past 18 months, but a number of sound recommendations and proposed rule changes have not been adopted quickly enough,” said Stuart S. Janney III, the chairman of the Thoroughbred Safety Committee. “That is one area that we as an industry need to improve upon going forward.”

During Wednesday’s conference call, the committee established a timeline for regular meetings focusing on topics such as, but not limited to, breeding practices, medication, track surfaces and the rules of racing, in the weeks ahead.

The first two meetings will take place in Lexington on Tuesday, May 27, and in New York on Wednesday, June 4.

The Thoroughbred Safety Committee is tentatively planning to announce its initial recommendations at The Jockey Club’s 56th annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing on Sunday, August 17, 2008, at the Gideon Putnam Resort and Spa in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Janney did not rule out the possibility, however, that the committee will make some recommendations public before then.

In addition to Janney, the committee members are John Barr, James G. (Jimmy) Bell, Dr. Larry Bramlage, Donald R. Dizney, Dell Hancock and Dr. Hiram C. Polk Jr. Each is a member of The Jockey Club.

The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. The Jockey Club fulfills that longstanding commitment by serving the industry through its family of companies and by providing support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives.