New racing league co-founder will be keynote speaker at Jockey Club Round Table

Greg Maffei, the former head of the operating company for Formula 1 and the co-founder of a company seeking to create a franchise-based racing league, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing, according to The Jockey Club, which organizes the annual conference.

Maffei, who was at the helm of Liberty Media when the company purchased Formula 1 in 2016, was introduced to the wider racing world just last week, when the league concept was revealed. The league has signed on three teams and is seeking to launch in early 2027.

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Liberty Media is widely credited with reinvigorating Formula 1 racing after its purchase of the series 10 years ago. Maffei stepped down as president and chief executive officer of Liberty in 2024 and is now the executive chair of QVC Group and the chair of SiriusXM and MediaKind.

The Round Table is scheduled for Aug. 6 in Saratoga Springs. The one-day conference typically focuses on topics that The Jockey Club believes are integral to the future of horse racing.

Other featured speakers include:

* Tom Hashimoto, the Japan Racing Association representative for the U.S., will “discuss efforts to attract younger generations” to horse racing and how the JRA has sustained the sport’s popularity in Japan;

* James T. Dresher Jr., the chair of the Maryland Jockey Club and a horse owner, will provide an update on plans in Maryland, where Pimlico is being rebuilt from the ground up under new state ownership; and

* Joe Appelbaum, the former president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and a developer of several racing apps, who will provide an “in-depth analysis of Thoroughbred ownership trends,” according to The Jockey Club.

In addition, several TJC officers or representatives of TJC companies will speak at the conference to update attendees on The Jockey Club’s efforts to market the sport, its strategic priorities, and its Traceability Initiative. The Jockey Club’s chairman, Everett Dobson, who took over the reins last year, will provide opening and closing remarks.

The Round Table conference will be streamed live at The Jockey Club’s website.

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