Mr. Appelbaum is also a co-founder with Carlos Morales of Off the Hook, a breeding, racing and sales company with a farm and training center in Ocala, FL and offices in New York City, which is dedicated to the proper breeding, development and training of thoroughbred racehorses.
With Off the Hook, Mr. Appelbaum has worked with a wide variety of leading trainers including Tom Bush, Chad Brown, Jim Bond, Mike Hushion, Leah Gyarmati, Andrew Lakeman, Jorge Abreu and Todd Pletcher. Founded in 2002, Off The Hook has developed dozens of stakes winners, most notably Breeders Cup Champion Informed Decision; Grade I winners El Deal, Turbo Compressor, Zipessa and Paola Queen; and New York-bred Zivo.
Prior to entering the thoroughbred business, Mr. Appelbaum, who played football for Yale University, was a college football coach, and spent seven years coaching at five different universities, and working with future NFL stars such as Wayne Chrebet and Victor Cruz. He also served as President of Kids Interest Development Services, Inc. and co-founded Oasis Children’s Services LLC, which provides school, camp and after-school programming for thousands of children throughout the Northeast.
Mr. Appelbaum is a 1990 graduate of Yale. He served on the NYTHA Board of Directors from 2014 to 2017 and was named NYTHA President in 2017. He joined the NYRA Board of Directors in 2018.
Michael Dubb is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Beechwood Organization, the largest developer of residential, single-family and multi-family attached housing in New York State.
Under Mr. Dubb’s leadership, since 1985, Beechwood has developed more than 60 communities, built more than 7000 homes and is in the planning stages for new developments in the New York metro area from the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, and across Long Island to the Hamptons.
An avid horseman, Mr. Dubb has been the leading thoroughbred owner in New York State during 2011, 2012 and for four years running from 2014 to 2017. He has campaigned Graded Stake Winners, including Grace Hall, Sis City, Lady Ivanka, Belle Gallantey, My Happy Face, Wake Forest, Condo Commando, Mr. Maybe, Monomoy Girl, Fourstar Crook, Uni, and Breeders’ Cup Winner, Wavell Ave.
The pinnacle of Mr. Dubb’s public service, on behalf of The Belmont Childcare Association, for which he is currently chairman and a past president, is the creation of Anna House. In 2002, Mr. Dubb spearheaded, built and donated construction of a 7,500-square-foot day-care center for the children of Belmont Park’s backstretch workers.
This innovative project, which provides daily education and care for more than 70 children each day, 365 days a year, was the first of its kind in the U.S. and set a standard for other racetracks to emulate. In 2011, due to the overwhelming need for this program, and to accommodate additional children, Mr. Dubb built a 1,500-square-foot extension.
As a NYRA board member, Mr. Dubb spearheaded the effort to create better living conditions for backstretch workers including the construction and renovation of several new dormitories at Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park.
Mr. Dubb is a Director for life and former two-time President of the Long Island Builders Institute, which in 2016 honored him with entry to its Hall of Fame for contributions to the industry and community; and a former board member of the Long Island Housing Partnership.
The American Cancer Society, American Jewish Committee, CAPTAIN Youth and Family Services, Family Service League, Rockaway Development & Revitalization Corporation, Mid-Island Y JCC, Sid Jacobson JCC, Suffolk YJCC and the Tilles Center have honored Mr. Dubb for his achievements and philanthropy. In 2004, Networking Magazine recognized his community service with their David Award.
C. Steven Duncker is a retired Partner of Goldman Sachs & Company, where he successfully led the company’s Global Credit Derivative Department.
Mr. Duncker joined Goldman Sachs & Company in 1982 and first worked in St. Louis, and then Chicago. Moving to New York, be became Vice President in 1986, and was named Partner in 1996. before retiring from the company in 2001.
Mr. Duncker is the Founder and Trustee of the C. Steven Duncker Foundation, which is dedicated to providing educational opportunities to disadvantaged children. He serves on several boards, including The Jockey Club, The Jockey Club Information Systems, and Equibase, Inc. Also, he is an avid thoroughbred owner and breeder, racing in New York, New Jersey, Kentucky and Florida.
Mr. Duncker received a bachelor’s degree, Cum Laude, from Duke University in 1980; and earned a Master of Management (M.M.), Finance, from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University in 1982.
Marc Holliday has served as SL Green’s Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Company’s Board since January 2004. He joined SL Green in 1998 as Chief Investment Officer.
Under his leadership, SL Green has grown to become New York City’s largest owner of commercial office properties, holding ownership interests in more than 120 assets totaling approximately 60 million square feet.
In addition to expanding SL Green’s owned portfolio, Mr. Holliday has led several diversification activities, including a successful retail investment program, through which SL Green has emerged as a major owner of Manhattan retail properties. The Company is also a market leader in debt and preferred equity financing.
Mr. Holliday has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of New York’s “People to Watch” (2014) and was ranked #1 on the New York Observer “Commercial 100” list (2012). He was previously honored by Crain’s New York Business as part of its “40 Under 40” list (2003). He is the recipient of the National Jewish Health’s “Humanitarian Award” (2011) and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum’s “Intrepid Salute Award” (2017) for his significant civic and charitable contributions.
A graduate of Lehigh University, Mr. Holliday also earned a Master of Science degree in Real Estate Development from Columbia University.
As a long-time supporter of Columbia’s real estate program, Mr. Holliday established the Holliday Professorship of Real Estate Development in 2008 and is a member of the Board of Trustees, co-chairing its real estate committee. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York.
Stuart S. Janney III has served as the Chairman of Bessemer Trust Company, Bessemer Trust Company, N.A., Bessemer Group, Inc., Bessemer Trust Company of Florida and Bessemer Securities Corporation since 1995.
From 1973 to 1976, Mr. Janney held several positions in the U.S. Federal Government. In 1977, he joined the Baltimore law firm, Niles, Barton & Wilmer, serving as a partner. From 1986 to 1994, Mr. Janney was a Managing Director of Alex Brown & Sons, in charge of Asset Management.
Mr. Janney serves as Chairman of The Jockey Club and is also on the boards of the Keeneland Association and the King Ranch, Inc. He is Trustee Emeritus of The Johns Hopkins University and Chairman Emeritus of The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab and serves as a Trustee of Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Mr. Janney received a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1970 and earned and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Maryland in 1973.
Ambassador Earle I. Mack is the visionary and founder behind the Man O’ War Project at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Ambassador Mack has had a long and distinguished career in business, public service, philanthropy and horseracing.
He is a Senior Partner in The Mack Company, one of the largest real estate developers in the nation and served as the United States Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Finland under President George W. Bush.
As a former Chairman of the New York State Racing Commission, Ambassador Mack has been a fixture in horseracing for decades and a strong advocate for racehorse aftercare. He served as a Senior advisor to two former New York governors, Gov. Mario Cuomo and Gov. George Pataki, on racing and breeding in New York State. Also, he endowed the Earle I. Mack Thoroughbred Champion Award to improve the welfare and care of after-track thoroughbreds. As a horse owner, Ambassador Mack has campaigned stakes winners including Currency Arbitrage, Excellent Tipper, Icabad Crane and November Snow.
Ambassador Mack has been a leader in the promotion of the arts, culture and education. His numerous non-profit roles have included serving as Chairman and CEO of the New York State Council of the Arts, Chairman of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and Co-Chairman of the Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Ambassador Mack received a B.S. degree from Drexel University and attended Fordham University School of Law.
Timothy (Chris) Mara is the Senior Vice President of Player Personnel for the New York Football Giants and serves on its Board of Directors.
The Mara family has owned the Giants since its inception into the National Football League in 1925. Mr. Mara has been an integral part of the Giants’ four Super Bowl Championships, in the 2011, 2007, 1990 and 1986 seasons.
Mr. Mara is an avid horse racing enthusiast and horse owner, and is a partner with Starlight Racing, which has campaigned three Kentucky Derby starters, General a Rod and Intense Holiday in 2014 and Itsaknockout in 2015.
Mr. Mara received a bachelor’s degree from Boston College in 1979. He resides in Bedford, N.Y.
Georgeanna (Georgie) Nugent is the Director of Classic and Signature Sanctuary Programs for Audubon International.
Previously, she served as the Business Development Manager for Consigli Construction Co. and worked in the environmental consulting business.
In 2009, Ms. Nugent was appointed to the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) Board, where she currently serves as the Chair. Also, she is a partner with StarLadies Racing, an avid horse racing fan and a former show jumper.
Ms. Nugent is a 2008 graduate of Leadership Saratoga and was previously a member of the Saratoga Springs Design Review Commission. She is actively involved with educational grant and scholarship programs for students in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field.
Ms. Nugent received bachelors’ degrees in Environmental Science and Geology from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Plattsburgh and earned a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. She and her family reside in Saratoga Springs, close to Saratoga Race Course.
David O’Rourke is the Chief Executive Officer and President of the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), the operator of Belmont Park, home of the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of racing’s Triple Crown; Saratoga Race Course, home of the most prestigious racing meet in the U.S.; and Aqueduct Racetrack.
As one of North America’s premier thoroughbred horse racing organizations, NYRA in 2018 generated $2.1 billion in annual all-sources wagering handle with paid attendance exceeding 1.7 million. It is the cornerstone of New York State’s thoroughbred industry, which is responsible for 19,000 jobs and more than $3 billion in annual economic impact to New York State.
O’Rourke joined NYRA as Director of Financial Planning in 2008 and was named Vice President for Corporate Development in 2010. In 2013, he was appointed Chief Revenue Officer and Senior Vice President. In that position, O’Rourke was responsible for NYRA’s business development strategies across a range of disciplines including industry relations, simulcast markets and contracts, television strategy, advance deposit wagering (ADW) operations and capital projects.
During his tenure at NYRA, O’Rourke served as the lead on all content-related negotiations, achieving an increase of more than $20 million in annual revenue. He played a signature role in spearheading the development and growth of NYRA Bets, NYRA’s national Advanced Deposit Wagering (ADW) platform, now available in 30 states.
O’Rourke also developed and led the strategy and investment in cloud-based video streaming technologies and Apps (NYRA Now), which have enabled NYRA to broadcast directly to various devices from TV to mobile and desktop; and transmit video to traditional TV networks such as FOX Sports and MSG. In doing so, he helped shepherd the dramatic expansion of NYRA’s flagship television broadcasts, the critically-acclaimed Belmont Park Live and Saratoga Live, which feature live coverage nearly every race day from Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.
Prior to joining NYRA, O’Rourke was a member of the Zolfo Cooper and Capstone Advisory Group Corporate Restructuring Practices, specializing in multiple operational and financial reorganization efforts in the real estate development, gaming, auto manufacturing, retailing and shipping industries. He also served as Vice President of Operations at Datek Online and was instrumental in helping the company develop into the world’s fourth largest online brokerage.
O’Rourke is a member of the NYRA Board of Directors. He is also a board member of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of America; and a member of the Saratoga Race Course Local Advisory Board, and the Management Committee of Equibase Company.
O’Rourke is a graduate of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and earned an MBA from Tulane University.
Ogden Phipps II is a co-founding Partner of the private equity firm, Snow Phipps. Prior to the firm’s formation in 2005, Mr. Phipps was a founding Partner and President of Guggenheim Merchant Banking, the private equity arm of Guggenheim Capital.
Previously, Mr. Phipps worked in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group of Gleacher Partners. Mr. Phipps began his career at Goldman Sachs as a member of its Leverage Finance Group.
Mr. Phipps serves on a number of boards including Brook & Whittle, DecoPac, ECRM, Electric Guard Dog, FeraDyne Outdoors, HCTec, Ideal Tridon, Velocity Commercial Capital, Winchester Interconnect and ZeroChaos. He is also a trustee of the Bessemer Trust, Bessemer Securities, Wake Forest University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Mr. Phipps received a B.A., with honors, in Economics from Wake Forest University.
Mr. Phipps’ father, the late Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps, was the longtime chairman of The Jockey Club and of NYRA; and was inducted into the Saratoga Walk of Fame, honored for his many contributions to thoroughbred racing. Among the many successful horses raced by the family’s Phipps Stable have been Easy Goer, winner of 1989 Belmont Stakes and Travers; Rhythm, the 1990 Travers winner; Storm Flag Flying, the 2002 American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly; and, with Stuart S. Janney III, Orb, winner of the 2013 Kentucky Derby.
Andrew Rosen is a third-generation New York City garment industry entrepreneur who founded the fashion label, Theory, in 1997. Following the label’s acquisition by Japan’s Fast Retailing in 2008, he has continued to serve as CEO of Theory and Helmut Lang.
As a mentor to many in the fashion community, Mr. Rosen has endowed scholarships at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Central Saint Martins, and has been an active supporter of the Council of Fashion Designers of American (CFDA)/Vogue Fashion Fund. In 2013, he and the CFDA spearheaded the Fashion Manufacturing Initiative, which provides grants that support the future of garment factories in Manhattan. Mr. Rosen is also a partner in the American fashion labels’ Rag & Bone, Alice & Olivia, and the luxury brand, Proenza Schouler.
Like his father before him, Mr. Rosen is actively involved in thoroughbred horse racing. With a significant racing and breeding operation in Europe and the United States, Mr. Rosen is passionate about the industry and committed to its future.
Joseph A. Spinelli is a Senior Managing Director at Ankura Consulting Group. He has been a preeminent leader in multiple fields, including white-collar crime investigations, anti-bribery and corruption, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) risk management, monitorships and criminal investigations.
Prior to his current position, Mr. Spinelli served as Managing Director in the Global Investigations and Compliance Practice, as well as Global Leader of the Anti-Bribery & Corruption Practice at Navigant Consulting.
From 1986 to 1994, Mr. Spinelli was New York State’s first-ever Inspector General, leading investigations into fraud, abuse, waste and corruption for all New York State agencies and authorities. Previously, he served as a Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in both the New York and New Haven field offices; and also as an Independent Fiscal Monitor during the post-Sept. 11, 2001 recovery effort at the World Trade Center, with investigative, compliance and monitoring responsibilities.
In 2004, Mr. Spinelli was elected to the Board of Regents of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, an international professional association with 40,000 members. In 2010, he was appointed to the New York State Commission on Public Integrity.
Mr. Spinelli received a bachelor’s degree from Ricker College and earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the John Marshall School of Law.
Stuart Subotnick is President and CEO of Metromedia Company, a general partnership comprised of several private companies.
Mr. Subotnick joined the former Metromedia, Inc. in 1967 as a tax manager. In 1980, he was appointed Chief Financial Officer and became one of the principal architects of the leveraged buyout, which took the company private in 1984.
Mr. Subotnick and his late wife, Anita, formed Anstu Stable in 1992, and together, they campaigned stakes winners including Balto Star, Friendly Island, Irving’s Girl, Ibboyee and Mellow Roll.
Mr. Subotnick received a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Baruch College, earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Brooklyn Law School in 1968 and a Masters in Law (L.L.M.) in Taxation from New York University School of Law in 1974.
Vincent Tese is a lawyer, investment advisor and cable television executive, and serves as Executive Chairman of Bond Street Holdings, LLC as well as the Executive Chairman of its subsidiary, Florida Community Bank.
Mr. Tese serves as a Director of several corporations, Clear Credit LLC, Intercontinental Exchange, Inc., Mack-Cali Realty Corporation and Madison Square Garden. In addition, he is Trustee of New York University School of Law and New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Mr. Tese also has held a number of positions in New York State government. He was appointed a Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 1991 and elected its vice chairman in 1992. In 1987, Mr. Tese was named Director of Economic Development for New York State, which added to his portfolio the titles of Commissioner of the Department of Economic Development and Chairman of the Science and Technology Foundation and Job Development Authority.
In 1985, Mr. Tese served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Urban Development Corporation. From 1981 to 1983, he served as State Superintendent of Banks. He also chaired the New York State Advisory Commission on Racing in the 21st Century.
Mr. Tese received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Pace University in 1966. Following two years as First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, he earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Brooklyn Law School in 1972, and a Masters in Law (L.L.M.) in Taxation from New York University School of Law in 1973.
Najja Thompson is Executive Director of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB), which serves as the unified voice of Thoroughbred breeders in the State of New York.
NYTB works to enhance the status of New York-breds and promote the economic impact that breeders and racing contribute to New York. It does so in part by serving as an advocate for the industry in New York’s complex political environment.
Thompson joined NYTB in 2020, after nearly a decade of experience in marketing, communications, and human resources at the New York Racing Association.Thompson also serves as vice-president of the Turf Publicists of America.
A graduate of Florida State University, Thompson developed his passion for Thoroughbred racing after being introduced to the sport by his uncle, a small breeder in Florida. Growing up attending racetracks in both Florida and New York, he followed his passion to work in the industry.
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