Barbara Banke and J. Michael O’Farrell Jr. have been elected to the board of stewards of The Jockey Club, filling the expired positions of Stella F. Thayer and Peter S. Willmott.

Banke is a Thoroughbred owner and breeder and proprietor of Jackson Family Wines, based in Santa Rosa, California. She serves on the boards of the Breeders’ Cup, TOBA, and National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and has been a member of The Jockey Club since 2013. She owns Stonestreet Stables, which has campaigned the winners of 100 stakes races, including horses of the year Curlin (2007, 2008) and Rachel Alexandra (2009), and is a leading developer of stallions, including Curlin, Kantharos, Carpe Diem, Maclean’s Music and Astrology. Her Lexington-based Stonestreet Farm is a leading commercial breeder and has produced the winners of 38 graded stakes and more than $38,000,000 in purses.

O’Farrell owns and operates Ocala Stud, the oldest active Florida Thoroughbred farm, in Ocala, Florida. Ocala Stud has bred and sold more than 150 stakes winners throughout its history. O’Farrell has served on the boards of organizations including Breeders’ Cup Ltd., the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association, and Florida Equine Publications. He is the chairman of Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company.

The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. In fulfillment of its mission, The Jockey Club, directly or through subsidiaries, provides support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives, and it serves the information and technology needs of owners, breeders, media, fans and farms. It is a founding member of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, and the Coalition for Horse Racing Integrity and the architect and sole funding source for America’s Best Racing, the broad-based fan development initiative for Thoroughbred racing. You can follow America’s Best Racing at americasbestracing.net as well as on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram.