Steve Kornacki, the NBC News political correspondent and an analyst on the network’s horse racing broadcasts, will deliver a keynote address during the July 31 Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing in Saratoga Springs, the organizer of the conference, The Jockey Club, announced on Thursday.
Kornacki, who provides data-driven political analysis for NBC in a signature style, is one of two keynote presenters at the conference this year, along with Everett Dobson, the chairman-elect of The Jockey Club, who will deliver his address about the organization’s future direction and priorities during the second half of the two-hour conference. Kornacki will speak during the first hour.
Dobson was elected to the chairmanship last year after Stuart Janney III announced his retirement, effective in August. Janney has been the chairman of The Jockey Club since 2015.
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Other speakers on the Round Table agenda include Shawn Smeallie, a veteran political operative who played an instrumental rule in the lobbying for legislation passed in 2020 establishing the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Association, which The Jockey Club supported. Smeallie will discuss the “state of horse racing in Washington, D.C.,” according to The Jockey Club.
Other presentations include:
* Griffin Johnson, the social-media influencer who owned a micro-share of Triple Crown runner Sandman, will discuss his experience in racing so far with Shannon Kelly, the director of industry relations for The Jockey Club.
* Dr. Allen Hershowitz, the environmental science advisor for the New York Yankees, and Glen Kozak, the executive vice president of operations and capital projects for the New York Racing Association, will discuss how sports and racing adjust to weather conditions, in a panel moderated by James Gagliano, the president of The Jockey Club.
* Two executives with the artificial-intelligence company Fastbreak AI, chief executive John Stewart and chief product officer Chris Groer, will provide a presentation on how their company “helps optimize the business of sports through AI-driven scheduling, operations, and sponsorship solutions.”
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