That’s a Wrap! Looking Back on the University of Arizona’s 2025 Global Symposium on Racing
The 2025 Global Symposium on Racing hosted by the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program (RTIP) came to a successful conclusion after three days of panels and workshops. The event, held from December 8 – 10, 2025, connected over 650 industry professionals from around the globe who engaged in discussion of pressing issues and explored the many opportunities waiting to be taken by the horse racing community.
In a new, expanded format, Monday offered a deep and varied mix of panels and workshops including topics on track maintenance, tote protocols, investigations, insurance, racing history, and ongoing research on equine biomechanics at the University of Arizona. Vicky Leonard of the Kick Collective led a special media training workshop focusing on strategies to effectively respond under pressure. Racing Secretaries, Directors of Racing, Horsemen, and Regulators came together at the 5th Annual Racing Secretary Summit to cover racing office topics including how the racing office could utilize artificial intelligence in creative ways and heard from Horse Racing Nation about their AI generated morning lines. Other Summit topics included improving communication between racing offices, post time coordination, and establishing consistent minimum weights to protect jockey mental health and welfare. Monday also included two workshops which provided attendees continuing education credits through the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.
To kick off Tuesday’s panels, Frank Taylor of Taylor Made Sales Agency and Stable Recovery delivered a spiritual and inspirational keynote address about perseverance, hard work, and the healing power of the horse. His address was followed by panels diving into key industry topics on examining how states are reinventing racing’s business model, the impact of Computer Assisted Wagering in the betting marketplace, and a deeper look into the most recent major construction prospects reimagining a day at the races.
Tuesday's luncheon included the presentation of RTIP and industry awards. Awards included the Big Sport of Turfdom, awarded to social media influencer and Thoroughbred owner Griffin Johnson, and the Clay Puett Award, presented to MyRacehorse for their work in bringing the excitement of horse ownership to a wider audience. The John K. Goodman Alumni Award went to Joe Longo recognizing his success and contributions to the industry. The RTIP Distinguished Student Award went to Nathan Klein, a senior aspiring towards a track announcing career upon graduation.
Tuesday afternoon sessions brough to the stage four legendary hall of fame jockeys, Steve Cauthen, Ramon Dominguez, Laffit Pincay Jr, and Mike Smith for a light hearted conversation about their careers and reminiscing about past races and great rivalries. This transitioned into a more serious conversation as the next panel focused on the mental well-being of jockeys, who face immense pressure to perform, and what changes the industry can make to better support them. The final panel of the day brought to the stage multiple individuals connected with the recent Netflix series Race for the Crown to discuss new strategies for engage audiences and bring fresh faces to the sport of horse racing.
The final day of the symposium began with a panel reflecting on the success stories in racing from the past year followed by a legislative and HISA update and a Q&A with Tom Rooney of the NTRA and Lisa Lazarus of HISA. One of the liveliest panels of the day came straight from Mike Repole as he joined via Zoom to provide his unfiltered perspective on horse racing’s future and answer question that had been submitted by the audience. Other panels on the day included a conversation about the changing wagering marketplace and the impact of prediction markets, a discussion on the latest technologies to time races along with a dialogue on timing accuracy and when the racing clock should start, a look into new and developing strategies to boost U.S. Thoroughbred Breeding, especially in smaller, regional markets, and a conversation about the impact of influencers in horse racing which included Big Sport of Turfdom winner Griffin Johnson. To close out the symposium, attendees heard from both local and international panelists about global collaboration efforts to bring the best racing has to offer onto the world stage. Panelists dove into how they not only work to bring in top racing talent but also appeal to fans, generating excitement and great experiences.
Looking ahead, the 2026 Global Symposium on Racing is already generating anticipation. Scheduled to take place at Loews Ventana Canyon from December 7–9, the event promises to build on the success of this year's symposium. Hotel and registration details for the 2026 symposium will be available on the official website in June.