Breeders' Cup re-elects four board members, chooses three new ones

Voting members of the Breeders’ Cup have re-elected four board members and selected three new board members, the Breeders’ Cup said Thursday.

The re-elected directors were Barbara Banke, the owner of Stonestreet Stables; William S. Farish of his family’s Lane’s End Farm, who is a former chairman of the organization; Dan Pride, the chief operating officer of Godolphin; and Elliot Walden, president and chief executive of WinStar Farm. The three new directors are Walker Hancock, the president of Claiborne Farm; Gavin Murphy, the co-founder of SF Bloodstock; and Alex Solis III, the co-founder of Solis/Litt Bloodstock.

Eight candidates were nominated to fill the seven open seats. The eighth candidate was Alan Cooper, the racing manager for Flaxman Holdings.

Voting is conducted by the Breeders’ Cup’s members, a body of 44 people elected by the individuals who have nominated foals and stallions to the Breeders’ Cup programs. Only members are considered for the board.

The four candidates with the most votes received four-year terms on the board. Those candidates were Banke, Hancock, Murphy, and Walden. The next two highest vote getters, Farish and Solis, received three-year terms. Pride received a one-year term.

The Breeders’ Cup board has 14 seats, and one is filled by the organization’s president and CEO, Craig Fravel.