BY BROCK SHERIDAN
The Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards presented by Godolphin USA had a Sunshine State influence Wednesday night during a ceremony held at the Keeneland Sales Pavilion in Lexington, Ky., as four of the honorees hail from Central Florida. Winners were announced in seven categories with a total of $122,000 awarded and FanDuel Television’s Todd Schrupp was the master of ceremonies.
Tom Law, managing editor of the Saratoga Special and this year’s judging panels chair, congratulated all of the finalists.
“This is my fourth year on the judging panels and each year I am truly inspired and moved by the special individuals who sincerely care for our industry and our equine athletes,” Law said. “To all the finalists, as well as all of the nominees, please know that we appreciate you and what you do.”
Lauren Marks, assistant director of sales at Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company, was honored with the Katherine McKee Administration Award sponsored by Keeneland.
“She has been a critical part of our success and we’re very proud of the accomplishments we have made as a company and very honestly, we could not have done it without her effort,” OBS President Tom Ventura said regarding Marks.
Christine Jones, director of stallion services with Pleasant Acres Stallions, was honored with a Managerial Award sponsored by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute.
“She puts her whole heart and soul into everything she does for her job,” said Tandra Downs with Oxygen Advertising. “Not only for her job, but for the stallions and for the breeders. She is very encouraging for new breeders to come into the industry. And we all need that.”
Steve Vargas, broodmare manager at John and Leslie Malone’s historic Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, was given the Dedication to Breeding Award sponsored by Hallway Feeds.
“We bought our first mares in 2015 and I needed a guy who could really get in the trenches and really had a deep resume,” Bridlewood General Manager George Isaacs said of Vargas. “Steve is here a lot of hours every day and always has a smile on his face. He is the first guy at the job every day and the last guy to leave. He is a huge asset to the farm.”
Julianne Stowell with Niall Brennan Stables was presented the Newcomer Award sponsored by NYRA.
“I became involved in the equine industry through the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation Second Chances Program at the Lowell Correctional Institute,” Stowell said. “There’s an old adage that says something like ‘If you love what you do, you won’t work a day in your life.’ And that is the perfect saying for me.”
Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation COO Maggie Sweet said Stowell made a positive impression when they first met.
“She is very straight forward. She does not hide her past,” Sweet said. “Her empathy was very obvious to me in that she shares her story. She knows that by sharing her story, she is helping a lot of people and a lot of horses.”
Other award finalists from Florida included Francisco D’Angelo with D’Angelo Racing Team, a finalist for the Dedication to Racing Award sponsored by NTRA; Francisco “Pancho” Sanchez with Craig Wheeler Thoroughbreds Inc., a finalist for the Dedication to Breeding Award; and Bob Miller with Ocala Farm Ministry, a finalist for the Dr. J. David “Doc” Richardson Community Award sponsored by Churchill Downs.
The TIEA Awards are now in their ninth year in the United States.
