Avioli appointed interim chief executive officer of NTRA and Breeders' Cup Ltd.

Greg Avioli, the chief operating officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Associations, was appointed the interim chief executive officer of both the NTRA and its partner, Breeders' Cup Ltd., at a joint meeting of the two organizations' board of directors on Thursday in Garden City, N.Y., according to the NTRA.

Avioli, 41, will succeed D.G. Van Clief in the chief executive positions, effective July 1. Earlier this year, Van Clief announced his intention to retire.

Avioli has most prominently spearheaded the NTRA's lobbying efforts in Washington. He is expected to be a strong candidate for the permanent chief executive position at either the NTRA or Breeders' Cup when the associations begin conducting executive searches later this year.

According to the NTRA, Van Clief, who has been with the Breeders' Cup since its inception in 1984 and was the first interim chief executive of the NTRA when that organization was launched in 1997, will be the chairman emeritus of both organizations.