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Friday, November 14, 2025Contact: Shannon Luce (859) 224-2716
The Jockey Club and TOBA Host Breeders Workshop

The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) hosted a regional breeders organization workshop at Churchill Downs on Wednesday, November 12, to identify best practices and areas of growth for the industry. More than 60 individuals from 23 organizations attended.

“Collaboration among industry stakeholders is essential to the continued growth of our sport,” said Everett Dobson, chair of The Jockey Club. “This workshop offered valuable perspectives from across the country on successful strategies and ways we can strengthen our efforts to reward current breeders while attracting new ones.”

Longtime racing executive Doug Reed, principal of Racing, Gaming & Entertainment LLC and former University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program director, presented on his work in Iowa and New Mexico featuring the feasibility of regional programs.

“The Jockey Club will offer complimentary reports from our databases to all state and provincial breeder associations, including information about where horses migrate to and from, as presented by Doug Reed,” Dobson said.

Other presentations and panels featured programs from Maryland, New York, and Virginia, and the mare reimbursement programs of California, Indiana, Maryland, and Ontario were discussed in detail.

In addition, Corey Johnsen, a Thoroughbred breeder, owner, and racetrack executive, shared creative ideas on awards for open races, a handicap system, and how to recruit new breeders.

To facilitate further regional cooperation, The Jockey Club and TOBA will organize face-to-face meetings with the many regions represented at the workshop, and another workshop is being planned for next year.

“We can’t thank Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association enough for their hospitality at this inaugural workshop,” said Dan Metzger, president of TOBA. “It was inspiring to see the collaboration and support for one another — and the industry as a whole — among all of the regions. The discussions sparked numerous innovative ideas, and we’re excited to continue fostering regional conversations. We look forward to reports of progress.”

The workshop concluded with an open forum and next steps presented by Dobson and Metzger, followed by networking opportunities during an afternoon of racing at Churchill Downs. 

Materials with regional summaries were provided by BloodHorse to attendees and will be available on The Jockey Club and TOBA websites. (Click here to view the booklet provided to attendees.) These summaries will be updated regularly.

The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for Thoroughbreds in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. A New York non-profit organization governed by a board of stewards, The Jockey Club has offices in New York and Kentucky. Profits from the commercial subsidiaries of The Jockey Club support investments in initiatives to improve the health, safety, and welfare of Thoroughbreds and to market and grow the sport. Among its many supported initiatives are America’s Best Racing (americasbestracing.net), OwnerView (ownerview.com), and the Thoroughbred Incentive Program (tjctip.com). Additional information is available at jockeyclub.com.

The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), based in Lexington, Ky., was formed in 1961 and is a national trade organization of leading Thoroughbred owners and breeders. TOBA’s mission is to improve the economics, integrity and pleasure of the sport on behalf of Thoroughbred owners and breeders. Projects managed by TOBA include the American Graded Stakes Committee, Claiming Crown, Ownership Seminars, Breeding, Conformation & Pedigree Clinics, US-Bred, TOBA Owners Concierge, OwnerView and the Sales Integrity Program. TOBA provides international representation for U.S. owners and breeders on the International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee, International Cataloguing Standards Committee and International Thoroughbred Breeders Federation. Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) is the charitable arm of TOBA. TOBA Media Properties, a subsidiary of TOBA, is the co-owner of BloodHorse LLC. TOBA is represented on the board of directors of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium as founding members.