Greg Lemond, Bob Costas featured guests at Jockey Club Round Table

Three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond and Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Costas will be the featured speakers at this year’s virtual Jockey Club Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing on Sunday morning, the Jockey Club announced on Monday.

LeMond, who won his three Tour de France titles prior to the doping scandals of the Lance Armstrong era, will appear on the virtual conference as part of a discussion about anti-doping issues with The Jockey Club’s chief operating officer, Jim Gagliano, the organization said. The Jockey Club has been spearheading a multi-year effort to lobby for federal legislation that would place control of drug testing and enforcement in the hands of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, a private company that conducts testing on behalf of the U.S. Olympic team and other sports.

Costas, whose Hall of Fame career has touched on nearly every sport in the world, will discuss his work on Triple Crown broadcasts for NBC and “the challenges faced by sports in 2020,” according to The Jockey Club. Costas was the co-host of NBC’s Triple Crown broadcasts from 2001-2018.

The Jockey Club Round Table, now in its 68th year, is annually held in Saratoga Springs as a launching board for projects considered important to its administrator. The event is being held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and will be streamed live on The Jockey Club’s website and simulcast on TVG and the Racetrack Television Network. Participants will give their presentations from remote sites.

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“While we are disappointed that we cannot host an in-person event, we are excited by this year’s lineup of speakers and the perspectives they will share with the conference’s virtual attendees,” said Stuart Janney III, the chairman of The Jockey Club.

Also on the agenda, the trainers Mark Casse, John Gosden, and Jessica Harrington will discuss “training and competing in different jurisdictions,” in a panel discussion led by Matt Iuliano, The Jockey Club’s executive director. Casse is based in Canada, Gosden is based in England, and Harrington is based in Ireland.

Sal Sinatra, the president and general manager of Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course in Maryland, will give a presentation on the U.S. system of claiming races and “recommend changes he believes would benefit the sport,” The Jockey Club said. In addition, Katrina Adams, the immediate past president of the United States Tennis Association, will “discuss the importance of diversity,” an issue that has been brought to the fore this year by the widespread protests across the U.S. over issues related to systemic racism in the country.

In the Monday announcement, The Jockey Club also said that several other agenda items would be added later this week. As is usual, some speakers will provide updates on the activities of The Jockey Club and several of its subsidiaries.