HRWS 2024

Tracy began her thoroughbred racing career during her high school summers working for a trainer at Delaware Park. Every morning Tracy would hotwalk, groom, and ride the racehorses, with a realization of how rare and privileged that opportunity was.

Those summers instilled a love for the horses, people, and unique experiences the racetrack backside provided. After graduating from the University of Maryland with an Animal Science degree, there was a beeline back to the racetrack with the only wish to work with racehorses.

Tracy saw a need and founded TLore Management to provide the racing industry with a tool to help manage their racing stables. In building the company, there was a great benefit to the connections built over the years and those forged since inception. With the success of TLore, The Jockey Club acquired it on August 1st, 2024, and there is an excitement to share and expand the wide range of experiences, dedication, hard work, and willingness to grow.

Blacker began her broadcasting career in 2004 and has had prominent roles with HRTV, TVG and NBC Sports over the past two decades. She is also a sales representative and liaison for Keeneland Sales company and host of “Rising Stock” for the Keeneland sales. In addition, she serves as a spokesperson for the Equibase product “Race Lens” and is a digital creator and ambassador for MyRacehorse, serving as a host of “Wire to Wire.” She also has experience working on a variety of national syndicated programs including MTV News, “Extra” and “Last Call with Carson Daly.”

Blacker is highly respected in the racing industry, serving as one the speakers at the inaugural Horse Racing Women’s Summit. She is also the co-founder of “I Am Horse Racing,” a non-profit dedicated to sharing the stories of racings unsung heroes.

Blacker graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in broadcast journalism and entertainment communications. She is the daughter of jockey Frank Olivares and is married to trainer Dan Blacker. Together they raise three very active children in California.

Born in South Africa and raised in England, Zoe came to America and worked for trainers Michael Dickinson, Christopher Speckert and Mike Stidham prior to taking out her jockey's license in 2000, winning aboard her first mount. 

Zoe became multiple stakes winning jockey and won riding titles in Chicago. She became the first female rider in Chicago history to win a meet riding title when she won the spring 2001 Hawthorne title. In 2008, Zoe relocated to Santa Anita to work with HRTV until 2015, when she began her current broadcast role with XBTV, Santa Anita Park and 1/ST RACING. 

Zoe is also a weekly Contributor to the TDN’s weekly Podcast and works with renowned bloodstock agent Marette Farrell in acquiring top-class bloodstock.

Stacie was raised in Ontario, Canada, where her passion for racing saw her working at the racetrack while attending University, both galloping horses and in the Media & Publicity department.

After graduating with Combined Honors in Media Communications, Stacie worked in the Toronto Film and Television industry, but the chance to ride races as a jockey put her television career on hold. From 1993-1996 Stacie rode as a jockey, being nominated for a Sovereign Award as Outstanding Apprentice.

Stacie’s focus then turned to Thoroughbred retirement initiatives and implementation of equine aftercare programs. In 2004, as Thoroughbred Retirement Program Manager at Adena Springs, the first in-house retirement program was created. Stacie was also directly involved in aftercare program implementation at Gulfstream and Santa Anita Park.

In 2012 Stacie joined the TAA as a board member and in 2014 full time as the organization's Operations Consultant. In 2013, Stacie produced HRTV’s Eclipse Award winning, Emmy nominated documentary, “Saratoga War Horse”.

Karen Crouse is a recovering daily sports journalist turned ghostwriter. Her collaboration with Gracie Gold, Outofshapeworthlessloser, was published in February 2024 and made The New York Times  bestseller list. Crouse, a graduate of the University of Southern California, is an award-winning reporter who worked at the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Daily News, among others, before a 16-year run at The New York Times starting in 2005.
During her thirty-plus years in sports journalism, Crouse, who swam competitively at USC, covered multiple Super Bowls, World Series, Wimbledons, Australian Opens, U.S. Opens in golf and tennis, Masters golf tournaments and 11 Olympics, including all five of Michael Phelps's Summer Games appearances. As someone drawn to swimming after watching Mark Spitz win seven Olympic golds, she felt like her life had come full circle when she chronicled Phelps's eight victories at the 2008 Beijing Olympics for The New York Times. Since 2021, she has been working with Phelps on his mental health memoir. She recently completed a ghostwriting project with a professional dancer with Hollywood connections.

Today

Britney Eurton is a host and reporter for NBC, Amazon Prime, and other independent networks. She began her broadcasting career with FanDuel (formerly TVG) in 2014, covering major horse racing events around the world such as the Triple Crown, Breeders' Cup, and Royal Ascot. Eurton has also been a frequent host of the Eclipse Awards, celebrating excellence in racing.

In 2017, Eurton made her NBC Sports debut with the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series and now serves as a host and reporter for their horse racing coverage. Her role with NBC has also included reporting on diverse events, such as tennis at the Paris 2024 Olympics, volleyball, and MLB. For Amazon Prime, Eurton currently covers the NWSL.

Eurton is a board member for New Vocations, one of the largest thoroughbred aftercare organizations in the country. A graduate of the University of Southern California with a degree in business, she is the daughter of Peter Eurton, a former jockey and accomplished thoroughbred horse trainer.

Samantha K. Huge is an influential and respected leader with more than twenty-five years of experience in NCAA Division I athletics and the sports industry. Huge serves as the Executive Vice President of Collegiate Athletics at RealResponse, a technology platform that provides athletes and others with a protected space for communicating sensitive issues. Recently, Samantha was named the executive director for the National Collegiate Equestrian Association. Prior to joining RealResponse, Huge held senior-level positions at Wake Forest University, Texas A&M University, Georgetown University, and the University of Delaware before serving as the Director of Athletics at the College of William & Mary.

In addition to her campus work, Huge was a member of several league and NCAA committees, including the NCAA Division I Council, the Division I Football Oversight Committee, and the Division I Basketball Competition Committee. She earned her law degree from Campbell University after graduating from Gordon College, where she played four years of varsity basketball. Huge previously served as board president and executive committee member of WeCOACH, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches in all sports and levels.

Catherine Iste is the Chief Administrative Officer of the Los Angeles Chargers. Catherine has over 20 years of experience helping organizations break bad habits and replace them with solutions that allow their employees to thrive. She specializes in addressing complex ethical situations, investigations, terminations, and restructures. Her clients have included Silicon Valley tech firms; national and international real estate development, manufacturing, and investment firms; family-owned corporations and foundations; professional and medical services firms; and government agencies.

As the CAO of the Chargers, Catherine is focused on removing obstacles and building support programs so everyone at the Chargers can bring their best selves to work. Connect with her on LinkedIN at www.linkedin.com/betterhr

Originally from Timaru, New Zealand, Vicky earned a Bachelor's degree in Science and an MBA, finishing as the top student in the Godolphin Flying Start Program.

In 2018, she founded Kick Collective, a full-service marketing agency for the thoroughbred industry, with bases in Ireland and Kentucky. Now based in Sydney, Vicky leads Kick Collective in specializing in perception marketing and strategy, driving initiatives like Kick Up for Racing in Australia and Light Up Racing in the US. These community-focused programs aim to ensure a sustainable future for the thoroughbred racing industry.

Additionally, Vicky is the owner and Managing Director of The Thoroughbred Report AusNZ, a daily bloodstock publication.

Robyn Theodorakis is a dynamic leader in sales and client partnerships at SeatGeek, where she plays a pivotal role in forging new relationships across the company’s supply business. She has been instrumental in helping sports leagues and organizations adapt to the mobile-first world, negotiating partnership terms with renowned sports teams globally. Robyn co-leads the Women at SeatGeek Employee Resource Group, collaborating with DEI leadership to amplify women's voices within and outside the company.

Before SeatGeek, Robyn served as the Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at Women Leaders in Sports, where she was responsible for driving revenue, cultivating strategic partnerships, and maintaining relationships with key donors and partners.

Robyn’s journey in the sports industry began as a Graduate Assistant in Ticket Operations at Arizona State University, where she earned her Master’s degree in Communication Studies. Her research focused on how memorable messages influence female athletes. Robyn also competed as a Division I athlete on the Sun Devil Swimming team, earning a degree in Kinesiology and a minor in Communication. She represented Scotland and Great Britain in international swimming competitions, winning silver medals at the Commonwealth Youth Games and World Youth Championships.

Multiple Grade 1 winning champion jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson started her career in 2004 and turned heads immediately. She became Woodbine's leading rider in 2005 as an apprentice. Wilson won both the Sovereign and Eclipse as Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in 2005 and captured both the Woodbine title and a second Sovereign as outstanding apprentice in 2006. In 2007, she became the first female rider to win The King's Plate (then The Queen's Plate) aboard Mike Fox. 

Wilson has taken her talents across the world, including Hong Kong in 2008 and captaining the Girls' Team to victory in the Shergar Cup at Ascot in 2015. Wilson surpassed Hall of Fame jockey Julie Krone for all-time purse earnings by a female jockey on July 11 at Woodbine. A respected ambassador for the sport, Wilson received the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award in 2018, which honors significant contributions to the sport by a jockey. Wilson has over 1,900 career wins, including 129 stakes victories.

Dr. Alina Vale obtained her veterinary degree at the University of California at Davis, and completed an internship at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, KY. She worked with racehorses as an associate of the Dubai Equine Hospital and in a group track practice in California.

Dr. Vale obtained a Master's Degree in Veterinary Forensic Science and transitioned into regulatory roles, including observing morning training for the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. As an Official Veterinarian for the California Horse Racing Board, Dr. Vale conducted equine postmortem reviews in California and for other states as an independent contractor for the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Authority.

​

Dr. Vale has consulted for the British Horseracing Authority and Racing New South Wales on their postmortem programs. She has participated in animal welfare programs with the American Veterinary Medical Association and served the American Association of Equine Practitioners as chair of the Welfare & Public Policy Advisory Council.