The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation announced April 5 that Dell Hancock, the foundation’s president, has been named the fifth recipient of the Dinny Phipps Award. She will be presented with the award at the Belmont Stakes Charity Celebration, held June 9.
Earle Mack, an active participant in race and thoroughbred breeding for over 5 decades, created the award in 2017 in memory of Phipps to honor an individual or individuals who have shown a donate to the health of horses. The Dinny Phipps Award winners are the Phipps family, Frank Stronach, John Oxley and Michael Del Giudice.
“Dell has been a tireless worker and friend in all areas of our industry and is most deserving of the Dinny Phipps award,” Mack said. “Dell, thank you for a life of dedication.”
Hancock joined the Grayson board of directors in 1985 and was appointed president in 2004. She has been an active member of the Jockey Club for over 25 years and served two terms on the board. She is currently a member of the Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Safety Committee. Under Hancock’s leadership, Grayson became the largest private funder of equine research. Since 2004, the year Hancock became president, Grayson has provided more than $21 million to fund 231 projects as well as an additional $480,000 to fund 30 career development awards.
“The Hancock family and the Phipps family have a long and deep bond, which makes me all the more honored to receive this Dinny award. He’s a man I have a lot of respect for,” Hancock said. .
The Belmont Stakes charity celebration, traditionally one of Grayson’s biggest fundraisers, will be held at the famed Tavern on the Green in New York City’s Central Park. It will be held in the south courtyard of the venue, which offers views of the park and the Manhattan skyline.
The event is scheduled for 7-10 p.m. ET and will include food and cocktail stalls with a Kentucky flavor accent. Entertainment will be provided by the Wolfpen Branch of Kentucky, a bluegrass band co-founded by Arthur Hancock IV.
Tickets for the celebration are $250 each and have varying levels of sponsorship. Those who wish to purchase tickets or sponsors can do so at tinyurl.com/BelCC622 or by contacting Shannon Kelly at [email protected] or 212-521-5327.
Mack has owned Thoroughbreds since 1963 and has actively supported equine retirement initiatives. A member of the Jockey Club since 2012, he has also served as a multiple-time board member for the New York Racing Association, the New York State Purebred Racing Investment Fund, and the Development and Breeding Fund. New York state purebred. was the chairman of the New York State Racing Commission in the mid-1980s.
The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Fund has traditionally been the nation’s leading source of private funding for beneficial equine medical research of all breeds. Since 1983, the foundation has provided more than $32.1 million to fund 412 projects at 45 universities in North America and abroad. Additional information about the platform is available at grayson-jockeyclub.org.
