Stuart S. Janney III:
Since its inception in 1953, sharing of ideas and perspectives has been a hallmark of this conference, in the next two hours, and maybe a few minutes more, you're going to hear and see reports on a diversity of topics, all of which bear relevance to the sport of Thoroughbred racing.
As I look at today's agenda, it seems to me that we're really trying to answer two basic questions: What makes a successful sport, and how do you make a sport better? Our roster of speakers today will all share some Insights on activities they're pursuing to make this work better.
I'd like to thank all of our presenters for being here today, especially win Winfried Engelbrecht Bresges, who made the long trip from Hong Kong to be with us. We're also very grateful to Congressman Barr and Congressman Tonko for taking time from their busy schedules to share some thoughts with us as well.
The activities of The Jockey Club report has been a key part of this conference for the past 30 years, and I would be remiss if I didn't briefly mention our late chairman, Ogden Mills Phipps, and the role he played in expanding these activities.
From the time he was elected chairman in 1983, Dinny wanted The Jockey Club to be more than a breed registry. Quite simply, he wanted it to help the industry more than it had in the past, whether it was in the area of integrity, technology, or marketing of the sport.
Today, largely as a result of his vision and commitment to Thoroughbred breeding and racing, we have realized his goal.
With commercial subsidiaries now generate 85% of our total revenues, The Jockey Club serves the industry and sport with high service standards and cutting edge technologies. From those proceeds we continue to devote substantial resources to enhance the welfare of both our equine and human athletes and develop programs to attract new fans and owners.
So Dinny's legacy lives on, and it lives on in a meaningful and sustainable way.
Jim Gagliano will now deliver the report on the activities of The Jockey Club.
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