The Jockey Club Elects Six New Members
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The Jockey Club has elected six new members—Ian G. Banwell, Everett R. Dobson, Helen Groves, Roy Jackson, William Shively, and Frank Stronach—it was announced Aug. 20.
Banwell and his wife, Caroline, own St. George Farm near Lexington and race their horses as St. George Farm Racing. Banwell, the CEO and owner of Round Table Investment Management Company, became involved in Thoroughbred racing as a result of a boyhood friendship with veterinarian Bryan Boone. He is a member of the Keeneland board of directors and races many horses in partnership with G. Watts Humphrey Jr.
Dobson has owned and raced Thoroughbreds since 1996. He owns Cheyenne Stables and a commercial breeding operation, Candy Meadows, as well as a minority investment in Three Chimneys Stallions. In 1989, he founded Dobson Communications Corporation which became one of the largest wireless service providers in the U.S. before its sale to AT&T in November 2007.
Groves, a direct descendent of Richard King of the legendary King Ranch in Texas, breeds and raises Thoroughbreds and also owns several ranches and raises Quarter Horses. She is an accomplished equestrian and a former director of King Ranch Incorporated. Her father, Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. was a member of The Jockey Club and a founding director of the Keeneland Association. Her daughters, Helen Alexander, Emory Hamilton, Caroline Forgason, Henrietta Alexander and Dorothy Matz, have been actively involved in the Thoroughbred industry as well.
Jackson and his wife, Gretchen, began breeding racehorses in 1978 at Lael Farm, located in the midst of steeplechase and show horse country in West Grove, Pa. Roy Jackson, after his career in the management end of professional baseball ended in 2004, began devoting his full attention to breeding and racing in the United States and Europe. Lael Stable campaigned the popular 2006 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner Barbaro.
Shively and his wife, Donna, purchased Dixiana Farm near Lexington in 2004, Woodlynn Farm (later renamed Woodland Farm) in 2006, and Domino Stud in 2009. He is a Keeneland director and a member of the Breeders' Cup. He is chairman and CEO of Tower Hill Insurance Group near Gainesville, Fla., a group of five property and casualty insurance companies. Tower Hill is a leading provider of homeowner's insurance in Florida.
Stronach, who owns the commercial breeding operation Adena Springs, has been involved in Thoroughbred racing for more than 40 years. He has earned eight Eclipse Awards as the nation's outstanding breeder and four others as outstanding owner. The Stronach family and Adena Springs have bred and/or campaigned more than 200 stakes winners. He is the founder and honorary chairman of The Stronach Group, which operates Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park, Maryland Jockey Club, Golden Gate Fields, and Portland Meadows.