The Horse Racing Women’s Association (HRWA) was thrilled to return to the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club for the HRWA Day at the Races event held Thursday, July 23 in Del Mar, California. 

The sold-out HRWA event, hosted by Del Mar in the Director’s Room, saw over 50 guests in attendance–including a handful of racetrack first-timers–come together to enjoy a panel discussion featuring local guest speakers, a handicapping challenge, raffles and prizes, networking opportunities, and an exclusive merch collaboration with the female-owned EveryWon brand.

“It was an exceptional day where we covered a lot of ground during our sold-out event at Del Mar. What especially stood out to me was the number of first-time attendees to both the track and to our events, plus having a male ally in attendance. The newcomers were from the ‘Emerging Professionals’ demographic, which is a group we strive to have join us and experience racing more and more,” said Stephanie Hronis, co-founder and chairperson of the HRWA. “Our racing veterans warmly engaged with and welcomed them. Our impressive panel provided a broad range of racing insights for everyone and helped our newcomers learn about horse racing.”

The HerWay panel discussion was led by moderator Christy Halling of Halling Thoroughbreds and panelists Carla Gaines, a multiple graded stakes-winning trainer; Connie Broge, who coordinates the winner’s circle for the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club; Lucy Lawrence, an owner, breeder, syndicate partner and board member of the California Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Foundation; and Lucinda Lovitt, the executive director of the California Retirement Management Account.

“It was such a pleasure to participate in the HRWA event at Del Mar. I was grateful for the opportunity to share about the importance of Thoroughbred aftercare with a new audience,” said Lovitt. “I’d like to give a big thank you to the entire HRWA team for helping CARMA keep the spotlight on the game’s most important player – the horses.”

The conversation ranged from responsible ownership and the importance of supporting and growing aftercare to the ever-changing landscape of the race day experience at the track and recruiting new fans, along with the next generation of the Thoroughbred industry workforce.

The next event hosted by the Horse Racing Women’s Association will be the HRWA Annual Conference, which returns Oct. 12-14 in Lexington, Ky. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.