News Releases

Tuesday, June 23, 2020Contact: Alexa Ravit (212) 521-5307
The Jockey Club’s Academic Scholarship Recipients Announced for 2020-2021

The Jockey Club announced today that Grace Clark has been selected to receive The Jockey Club Scholarship and Eric DeCoster has been selected to receive The Jockey Club Jack Goodman Scholarship.

The Jockey Club Scholarship provides $15,000 ($7,500 per semester) to a student who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree or higher at any university and has demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in the Thoroughbred industry.

The Jockey Club Jack Goodman Scholarship awards $6,000 ($3,000 per semester) annually to a student at the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program (RTIP) and is based on academic achievement, a proposed career path in the Thoroughbred racing industry, and previous industry involvement. Goodman was a longtime member of The Jockey Club and one of three founders of the RTIP.

Clark is a rising senior at the University of Kentucky and is majoring in Community and Leadership Development with a minor in Agricultural Economics. In addition to being a marketing intern and tour guide for Godolphin, she has worked in various roles for Kentucky Downs and is active in the National FFA Organization. Upon graduation, Clark hopes to work in educational outreach and promotion of the Thoroughbred industry.

DeCoster is an incoming freshman in the RTIP this fall. An Arizona native, he worked as an assistant manager at a local barn and cohosts “Racing Rundown,” a horse racing podcast. DeCoster aspires to be a bloodstock agent.

“The Jockey Club’s two academic scholarships are part of the portfolio of initiatives designed to support the Thoroughbred industry, and we are proud to assist Grace and Eric in their efforts to pursue careers in the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industries,” said James L. Gagliano, president and chief operating officer of The Jockey Club. 

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.

The University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program has placed almost 600 alumni in the racing industry. Alumni currently work in all aspects of the horse racing industry, including breed registries, racetracks, owners and breeders associations, sales companies, bloodstock agencies, racing commissions, tote companies, breeding farms and equine publications. Additional information is available at ua-rtip.org.