Jim Edwards, who has worked as the state steward for the New Jersey Racing Commission at Monmouth Park, the Meadowlands and Atlantic City Race Course since 2004, has been appointed as The Jockey Club Steward at the New York Racing Association tracks.  He will succeed Dr. W. Ted Hill, who is retiring at the end of the year.

The appointment was announced by Stuart S. Janney III, the chairman of The Jockey Club.

“Dr. Ted Hill brought a tremendous mix of knowledge, integrity and concern for the welfare of horses and jockeys to the stewards stand every day and we are immensely grateful for his many years of service not only to The Jockey Club but to the industry at large,” Janney said.

"Jim Edwards has seen racing from a number of perspectives, most importantly with the eyes of a jockey, race track executive and steward,” he added. “He is an intelligent and effective communicator and we are pleased to have him as Ted Hill's replacement."

Edwards, a native of Miami, FL and a resident of Farmingdale, NJ, rode in more than 15,000 races (and won more than 2,000 of them) between 1974 and 1991, primarily in the mid-Atlantic area. He won an Eclipse Award as the outstanding apprentice jockey in 1975 and numerous riding titles through the years.

He served three consecutive terms on the Jockeys’ Guild Board of Directors and then spent seven years as a regional manager for the Guild. 

Edwards attended the University of Louisville Stewards Accreditation Program in 1999 and has participated in several continuing education programs offered by the Racing Officials and Accreditation Program (ROAP) since then.

Before he was named the state steward for the New Jersey Racing Commission, Edwards spent time as a racing official in Florida and New Jersey and managed off-track betting facilities in Pennsylvania.

Hill, a resident of Lewes, Del., was named The Jockey Club steward at the NYRA tracks in May, 1996. He had served as NYRA veterinarian from 1978-1982 and as the chief examining veterinarian from 1983-1996.

During his tenure, Hill also served on numerous committees for veterinarians and racing officials and he will continue to represent The Jockey Club on certain international committees.

Edwards will start his new job January 1, 2016.