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Thursday, May 11, 2017Contact: Bob Curran Jr. (212) 521-5326
Representative Barr, Anti-Doping Attorney McLaren to Address Pan Am Conference Delegates

Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), the co-chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Horse Caucus, and Professor Richard McLaren, an internationally recognized expert in sports law and arbitration, have been added to the list of speakers for the second Pan American Conference, to be held May 17 – 20, 2017, in Washington, D.C.

The Jockey Club, the breed registry for Thoroughbreds in North America, and the Latin American Racing Channel (LARC), are co-hosting the conference, which culminates with the running of the 142nd Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 20, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

Barr has served as the U.S. Representative for Kentucky’s Sixth Congressional District since January 2013.  He is a member of the Committee on Financial Services and is the chairman of the Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee. He has focused his efforts on strengthening Kentucky’s signature bourbon, equine, coal, agriculture and manufacturing industries and has been an enthusiastic proponent of medication reform in horse racing.

He will deliver a welcome address on Thursday morning to approximately 400 conference participants who will be representing approximately 25 countries.

McLaren is involved in the adjudication of sports-related disputes at both the amateur and professional level, and as a member of the Arbitrator of the Court of Arbitration of Sport, he has arbitrated key sport cases around the world.

As a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s 2015 Independent Commission, he examined systemic doping and corruption in Russian athletics. In 2016, WADA once again called on his expertise to lead the investigation into allegations of sample tampering at the 2014 Sochi Games.

McLaren, who also serves as counsel for McKenzie Lake Lawyers LLP and as a professor of law at Western University in London, Ontario, will participate in a Friday afternoon panel focusing on integrity initiatives in horse racing.

Among the other topics sprinkled throughout the two-day conference are panels devoted to international products for bettors, racetrack and facility design, and marketing the racetrack experience.

A detailed list of topics and speakers is available at panamdc2017.com.

The conference sponsors include Longines, The Stronach Group, LARC, Betfred, Jockey Club del Peru, Keeneland, OSAF, Jockey Club Argentina, Samuel & Guillermo Liberman, P.M.U., The Jockey Club, The Jockey Club Information Systems Inc., InCompass, Equibase Company, America’s Best Racing and The Jockey Club Technology Services Inc.

The Latin American Racing Channel broadcasts the most important horse races from Latin America to the world and offers racetrack maintenance and consulting services to a wide range of industry organizations. Additional information is available at larchannel.com.

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 the 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. Additional information is available at jockeyclub.com.