NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Contact: Robert Bolson, Director of Corporate Marketing
Blood-Horse Publications
(859) 276-6809; rbolson@bloodhorse.com
D. G. VAN CLIEF JR. TO BE THURSDAY'S GUEST ON BLOODHORSE.COM "TALKIN' HORSES"
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Join D. G. Van Clief Jr., chairman of the Sales Integrity Monitoring Committee, for Thursday's edition of BloodHorse.com "Talkin' Horses" at BloodHorse.com/TalkinHorses on Thursday, August 14, at noon EDT (9:00 a.m. PDT), sponsored by TrueNicks.com. The monitoring committee is responsible for overseeing the implementation and determining the effectiveness of recommendations made by the Sales Integrity Task Force regarding ownership and medical disclosures, steroid use, and other issues. Van Clief has spent his career in the Thoroughbred industry serving as chief executive officer of Nydrie Stud, as the CEO and founding chairman of the NTRA, and as the president of Breeders' Cup Limited.
Van Clief currently serves as the chairman of Fasig-Tipton and is a member of the board of Trustees of the Breeders' Cup, Jockey Club Foundation, and Blood-Horse Publications. He is also a former trustee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), and is former president of the Thoroughbred Club of America.
He received the Eclipse Award of Merit in 1998, the TOBA industry service award in 1997, was elected to membership in The Jockey Club in 1991, and is the recipient of the inaugural Jockey Club Medal.
About the Sales Integrity Program:
In 2004, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) created the Sales Integrity Task Force in response to criticism by some influential buyers that the industry needed, among other things, full disclosure of ownership and medical records for horses offered at public auction. The Task Force sought improvements that would make buyers feel informed while protecting privacy rights and treating sellers fairly.
The Sales Integrity Task Force, which consisted of 22 members, met several times during 2004 to formulate a code of ethics. The code was geared toward protecting new buyers, however it recognized that the interests of consignors, breeders, agents, veterinarians, and sales companies needed to be protected as well. Key elements of that code include full disclosure of dual agency (an agent who represents both the buyer and seller) and the disclosure of any payments the agent receives in a transaction; provide a sample legal agreement for use between buyers and bidding agents; allow for the voluntary disclosure of surgical procedures that have altered conformation; require veterinarians to sign a legal form (prior to entering the repository) disclosing any equity interest in horses offered for sale, and encourages full disclosure of ownership while protecting rights to privacy. After the release of the code of ethics in December 2004, the Sales Integrity Program was established to implement the recommendations in the code through a communications and education campaign.
In November 2007, the Sales Integrity Task Force reconvened to develop industry consensus on several issues pursuant to an agreement between the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association (CBA), Fasig-Tipton, Inc., Horse Owners' Protective Association, Keeneland Association, Inc., Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA) and Kentucky State Rep. Larry Clark. These issues included the licensing of bloodstock agents and consignors, transparency in ownership in the sales arena, and transparency in medication in the sales arena, all of which had been implicated by Kentucky House Bill 388. The task force also recommended a ban on exogenous anabolic steroids for 45 days prior to a sale and testing at a buyers discretion, that a bloodstock agent code of conduct be added to the conditions of sale, and that voluntary ownership be disclosed in an ownership registry.
As with the first Sales Integrity Task Force, the Sales Integrity Program was charged with overseeing the implementation of the task force's 2007 recommendations. The Sales Integrity Program is managed by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA).
How to participate in the BloodHorse.com "Talkin' Horses"/ask questions:
Questions for D. G. Van Clief can be submitted in advance now or during the online discussion by going to BloodHorse.com/TalkinHorses. The same Internet address will also carry BloodHorse.com "Talkin' Horses" webcast on Thursday. BloodHorse.com "Talkin' Horses" is sponsored by TrueNicks.com and offers an entertaining and engaging opportunity for racing enthusiasts to talk online one-on-one with high-profile insiders, newsmakers and legends of the Thoroughbred industry.
Racing enthusiasts are invited to join in the discussion or simply enjoy and monitor the informative "Q&A" session as it occurs by visiting BloodHorse.com/TalkinHorses at noon EST on Thursday. Each edition of BloodHorse.com "Talkin' Horses" is archived online and available 24/7 for later reading.
For more information, visit: BloodHorse.com/TalkinHorses.
About BloodHorse.com:
BloodHorse.com was voted the #1 horse industry Web site in 2007, 2005, and 2002 by the American Horse Publications Association, and was previously selected as a Top Seven Equestrian Web site by Forbes magazine. It is the preferred choice of industry professionals and racing enthusiasts alike for up-to-the-minute racing news and information. From award-winning, comprehensive editorial to fan-favorite Breeders' Cup and Triple Crown Mania channels and the engaging BloodHorse.com "Talkin' Horses" weekly feature, there is something for all Thoroughbred racing professionals and enthusiasts. BloodHorse.com is operated by Blood-Horse Publications, the Thoroughbred industry's foremost publishing company. Blood-Horse Publications also publishes The Blood-Horse, a publication of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) and the leading weekly Thoroughbred racing and breeding news and information magazine; the award-winning The Horse: Your Guide To Equine Health Care, a monthly equine health care magazine; TBH MarketWatch, a newsletter for Thoroughbred investors and recipient of the prestigious Awards for Publication Excellence (APEX) for 2008, 2006, and 2005; the official Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup souvenir magazines; Auction Edge; and Keeneland magazine. In addition, Blood-Horse Publications also publishes equine-related books and videos under the Eclipse Press banner, and operates a family of award-winning Web sites including TheHorse.com, StallionRegister.com, ExclusivelyEquine.com, the official store of Blood-Horse Publications, and TrueNicks.com.
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For more information, contact:
Robert Bolson
Director of Corporate Marketing Services
Blood-Horse Publications
Tel.: (859) 276-6809
rbolson@bloodhorse.com
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