Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards winners honored at Keeneland

From a pool of almost 200 applicants, the six winners of the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, which carry total prize money of $122,000, were named and honored on Friday at a luncheon at Keeneland.

Godolphin is the principal sponsor of the awards, in association with The Jockey Club, the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protection Association, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, and the Breeders’ Cup. Godolphin also sponsors the equivalent Stud and Stable Staff Awards in Ireland, Australia, Great Britain, and France. The awards were first presented in North America in 2016.

The winners of the Dedication to Racing Award and Dedication to Breeding Award, respectively, were Lorita Lindemann, assistant trainer for Joe Sharp Racing, and Calvin Smith, assistant broodmare manager at Runnymede Farm in Pennsylvania.

Robert Turner, yearling manager for Stonestreet Farm, was presented with the Leadership Award.

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Kelsey Marshall, who serves as vice president of partner relations for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, was named the winner of the Katherine McKee Administration Award. This year's award, sponsored by Keeneland, was named in honor of Keeneland’s late manager of horsemen's hospitality and director of racing administration, who died in July 2020.

A new award was added to the TIEA program this year in the Support Services Award. It was presented to Brenda Wilhelm, track kitchen operator at Charles Town.

Olivia Desch of WinStar Farm was honored with the Newcomer Award.

The TIEA program also honored this year's previously announced Community Award winner, Nick Caras of the New York Racetrack Chaplaincy, and the runner-up, Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association’s Diana Pinones.

The award winners were selected from a slate of finalists announced in August, as a shortlist judging panel determined the finalists for five of the categories, plus the Community Award winner and runner-up. A second and final stage of judging, consisting of in-person interviews with the finalists, was held this week.