Keitt, Beasley named to Breeders' Cup executive positions

Breeders‘ Cup Ltd. has hired the publishing executive John Keitt as its new chief operating officer and the longtime racing executive Rogers Beasley as chief strategy officer, the company announced on Friday.

As chief operating officer, Keitt will “oversee the day-to-day administrative and operational functions” of the organization, according to Breeders’ Cup. The chief operating officer position at Breeders’ Cup has been unfilled since the former COO, Drew Fleming, was elevated to chief executive officer following the departure of Craig Fravel after the organization’s November event last year.

The position of chief strategy officer is new for the company. In the role, Beasley will “work closely with the Breeders’ Cup management team to shape the company’s future business strategies, including future host site selection and expansion of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition,” an organization that Breeders’ Cup co-founded with a number of other racing companies late last year.

Keitt has most recently worked as the chief executive and publisher of the Blood-Horse, which is owned by The Jockey Club. Prior to the Blood-Horse, Keitt had served as the senior vice president of global operations and general counsel for The Associated Press, after starting his career at several law firms.

Beasley worked at Keeneland for 34 years before retiring in 2016. He was the director of sales for the company from 1982 until 2000, and then served 16 years as its director of racing.