News Releases

Tuesday, June 10, 2025Contact: Shannon Luce 859.224.2716
The Jockey Club Announces Racing Regulatory Veterinarian Fellowship

The Jockey Club today announced the Racing Regulatory Veterinarian Fellowship, a loan repayment program that will award up to $25,000 in veterinary school loan repayment to an employed racing regulatory veterinarian. A racing regulatory veterinarian is defined as a licensed veterinarian who works for a government agency, racing commission, racetrack, or racing association to oversee the health and safety of the horses racing.

“The racing industry suffers from a prominent shortage of equine veterinarians, something we must actively try to change to continue to improve the safety and integrity of our sport,” said Kristin Werner, deputy general counsel and director of Industry Initiatives, The Jockey Club. “We hope this fellowship will incentivize recent veterinary college graduates to pursue or continue pursuing a career as a racing regulatory veterinarian by providing some relief from their veterinary school loans.”

To qualify for this program, an applicant must:
 
  • Be employed at least half-time as a racing regulatory veterinarian in the U.S., Canada, or Puerto Rico and have been employed at least half-time as a racing regulatory veterinarian for the past two years,
  • Be a graduate of a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program (or equivalent) from an accredited college of veterinary medicine within seven years of the application date, and
  • Have outstanding qualified educational loan debt borrowed for educational costs related to the graduate education of the veterinarian.
Each year, The Jockey Club will review applications to determine finalists, and a panel of experts in veterinary medicine will help The Jockey Club select the award winner.

The 2025 application window is open until Monday, July 7, 2025. The award winner for 2025 will be announced at the Round Table Conference on July 31, 2025. Past award winners are not eligible for reapplication.

To learn more about the Racing Regulatory Veterinarian Fellowship, visit bit.ly/43Q6FCP.

The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for Thoroughbreds in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. A New York non-profit organization governed by a board of stewards, The Jockey Club has offices in New York and Kentucky. Profits from the commercial subsidiaries of The Jockey Club support investments in initiatives to improve the health, safety, and welfare of Thoroughbreds and to market and grow the sport. Among its many supported initiatives are America’s Best Racing (americasbestracing.net), OwnerView ownerview.com), and the Thoroughbred Incentive Program (tjctip.com). Additional information is available at jockeyclub.com.