LEXINGTON, KY - A Hall of Fame
Thoroughbred trainer, long time horse owner, and a leading regulatory
veterinarian are the new officers of the Association of Racing Commissioners
International (RCI) for 2014-2015, RCI President Ed Martin announced today.
John T. Ward, Jr., the Executive
Director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, was automatically elevated to
become the RCI Chairman this month. Ward is a long time board
member of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) and a founding
member and past president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association as well as
the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA).
Ward has also served on the TOBA
Sales Integrity Task Force and the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council and as
a member of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. In 2002, he and his
wife Donna were named recipients of the 2002 Kentucky Thoroughbred Media’s
Ambassadors of Racing Award.
All RCI officers serve for a term of
one year. Ward replaces Duncan Patterson, who is the current Chairman of
the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission.
Arkansas Racing Commissioner Mark
Lamberth was elected to be Chair-elect by the newly elected RCI Board.
Lamberth has owned horses since 1985 and prior to his appointment to the
commission Lamberth served on the Board of the Arkansas
Horsemen's Benevolence & Protective
Association. He is a prominent business leader in his state and serves
on the RCI Model Rules and Equine Welfare Committees.
The Director of Racing for the
Massachusetts Gaming Commission, Jennifer Durenberger, DMV, was elected to
serve as the association’s Treasurer. Dr. Durenberger, who is also
an attorney, has been involved as a regulatory veterinarian and racing official
in multiple jurisdictions since becoming involved with racing in 1991.
She is an accredited Steward and member of the Racing Officials Accreditation
Program Education Committee. She serves on the American Association of
Equine Practitioners Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee, the RCI Model
Rules and Drug Testing Standards and Practices Committees, as well as The
Jockey Club’s Racing Equipment and Safety Committee. She is a member of
the American Veterinary Medical Law Association and is active with the National
Thoroughbred Racing Association’s Safety and Integrity Alliance.
“At a critical time for the racing
industry RCI continues to demonstrate proficiency and leadership in a number of
areas essential to the sport. The collective involvement of our
Members, working in consultation with the various breeds and industry leaders
has resulted in important advances designed to safeguard horses as well as the
integrity of the sport,” RCI President Ed Martin said. “Those advances
include widespread adherence to RCI/RMTC lab standards, increased reliance on
pre-race veterinarian examinations, limits on toe grabs, development of
universal totalizator system standards, and increased training and
accreditation for racing officials.”
“The expertise represented in the RCI
leadership and Board is balanced and represents every aspect of the
sport. Veterinarians, owners, trainers, fans, those who know
business, those who know racing, and those who understand government. RCI
is truly independent with no agenda other than to protect these great sports by
safeguarding our athletes and participants as well as the public interest,” he
said.
