News Releases

Tuesday, August 13, 2019Contact: Alexa Ravit (212) 521-5307
Viola Elected to The Jockey Club Board of Stewards

Vinnie Viola has been elected to the board of stewards of The Jockey Club, filling the expired position of William S. Farish Jr.

Vinnie Viola and his wife, Teresa, started purchasing racehorses in the late 1990s and eventually formed St. Elias Stables, which, together with Teresa’s Viola Racing Stables, has won the Kentucky Derby with Always Dreaming and the Breeders’ Cup Mile with Liam’s Map, among other major stakes races. Following a successful career on Wall Street, Viola now devotes a substantial amount of his time to his horse breeding and racing business, supporting the U.S. Army and its soldiers through his family foundation, and advocating for quality education for underserved inner city students. Viola is also the owner of the Florida Panthers of the NHL and a governor on the NHL’s board of governors.

In addition to Viola, the board of stewards consists of Barbara Banke, Everett R. Dobson, C. Steven Duncker, Ian D. Highet, Stuart S. Janney III, William M. Lear Jr., J. Michael O’Farrell Jr., and John W. Phillips.

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 founded America’s Best Racing (americasbestracing.net), the broad-based fan development initiative for Thoroughbred racing, and in partnership with the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, operates OwnerView (ownerview.com), the ownership resource. Additional information is available at jockeyclub.com.