New NYRA chief to assume seat on NTRA board

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Chris Kay, the reorganization specialist who was hired as the chief executive officer of the New York Racing Association in June, will fill the seat reserved for NYRA on the board of directors of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the NTRA said on Friday after a board meeting.

NYRA’s seat on the board had been filled on an interim basis by David O’Rourke, NYRA’s vice president of corporate development, since the resignation of its former chief operating officer, Ellen McClain, at the end of April.

Before being hired by NYRA, Kay was the chief operating officer of the Trust for Public Land. Before that, he was a consultant for Universal Parks and Resorts and the chief operating officer for Toys ‘R’ Us.

The NTRA is a member-services organization funded by racetracks, horsemen’s groups, and industry organizations.