The Jockey Club today announced the election of eight new members: Antony Beck, Adele Dilschneider, John Ferguson, Joe Ford, Craig Fravel, William M. Lear Jr., Chris McCarron and Arnold Zetcher.

Beck is president of Gainesway Farm and serves on the board of directors of Breeders’ Cup and on the board of trustees of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) and Blood-Horse Publications. With his family, he owns the Graham Beck Wineries in South Africa.

Dilschneider breeds and owns Thoroughbreds in partnership with Claiborne Farm and serves on the board of directors of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation.

Ferguson is the Bloodstock Advisor to HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum and oversees all of Darley’s operations worldwide. In the early 1990s, he established John Ferguson Bloodstock and since then he has been one of the world’s leading purchasers of bloodstock.

Ford owns and operates Westrock Stables LLC with his son, Scott, and is a partner in the private investment firm Westrock Capital Partners LLC. He is the retired chairman and CEO of Alltel Corporation.

Fravel is the president and general manager of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and serves on the boards of several Thoroughbred industry organizations, including the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Equibase Company, the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, and the Dolly Green Research Foundation.

Lear, a trustee of Keeneland Association since 2008, serves as chair of the board of directors for the Lexington, Ky., law firm Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC. In addition to Keeneland, Lear has represented the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association - Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders and several Central Kentucky Thoroughbred farms.

McCarron, a Hall of Fame jockey who won 7,141 races during a 28-year career, was the driving force behind the creation of the North American Racing Academy in 2006 and serves as its lead instructor. McCarron also co-founded the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund, which assists injured jockeys and exercise riders.

Zetcher is the chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and has served on the organization’s Racing Affairs, Owner Relations and Track committees in addition to serving as an at-large member on the Executive Committee. He also serves on the board of trustees of TOBA and is the retired chairman and CEO of Talbots.

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 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, among others. Additional information is available at jockeyclub.com.