Phipps Keynote Speaker at IFHA Conference

Jockey Club chairman Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps will deliver the keynote address at the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities conference Oct. 6, at the France Galop offices in Paris.

"The devotion and commitment of the Phipps family to Thoroughbred breeding and racing has long been established, and as chairman, Dinny has been the driving force behind The Jockey Club's activities domestically and internationally," said IFHA chairman Louis Romanet. "The Jockey Club is a founding member of the IFHA, and actively participates on all committees of the federation and we look forward to hearing his perspectives on a wide range of topics, including medication."

Phipps has served as chairman of The Jockey Club since Feb. 10, 1983, the longest tenure for a chairman of The Jockey Club. He also serves as a board member for the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and the wholly owned subsidiaries of The Jockey Club. He is also a member of the Equibase Management Committee.

The IFHA will spotlight two main areas at its conference.

The first topic titled, "Racing Surfaces and Safety," will feature presentations from Mick Peterson, executive director of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory; and trainer Graham Motion, who saddled Animal Kingdom   to win the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). This topic and accompanying presentations will be moderated by Brian Kavanagh, chief executive officer of Horse Racing Ireland Club and vice chairman of the IFHA. 

The second topic of the IFHA conference is titled, "Building a Successful Social Media Strategy," and will showcase speakers David Sternberg, head of media for Manchester United and Wolfgang Breyer, head of international advertising, online communication, and entertainment marketing for BMW Group. This session will be chaired and moderated by Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, chief executive officer of the Hong Kong Jockey Club and vice chairman of the IFHA.

The conference will also feature a report from Yves Bonnaire on behalf of the IFHA Advisory Council on Equine Prohibited Substances detailing global lab certification and other matters forthcoming from the International Conference of Racing Analysts and Veterinarians. Andrew Harding, director of racing development for the Hong Kong Jockey Club, will give an update on pertinent issues related to the international movement of horses and the federation's agreement with the World Organization for Animal Health. 

Jockey Club president Jim Gagliano, a vice chairman of the IFHA, will give a brief update on the upcoming 2015 Pan American Conference that will be held in New York City in June. 

In addition, racing in Scandinavia and Korea will be respectively presented by Harald Dorum, chief executive officer of Norwegian Tote; and Park Yang-Tae, general manager of race planning and strategy department of the Korea Racing Authority.

Click here for the full agenda of the conference. A live video stream of the open forum of the conference will be available on the IFHA's website beginning at 10:30 CEST. A replay of the live video stream will be available in the days following the conference.