TAMPA BAY: FAMILIAR FACES IN NEW PLACES, PLUS NEWCOMERS, STRENGTHEN OPERATION

By Mike Henry —-

FAMILIAR FACES IN NEW PLACES, PLUS NEWCOMERS, STRENGTHEN OPERATION

PHOTO OF STATE STEWARD REESE HOWARD, LEFT, AND ASSOCIATION STEWARDS JOELYN RIGIONE AND BROOK HAWKINS)
OLDSMAR, FL. – Joelyn Rigione and Brook Hawkins have been hired as Association Stewards at Tampa Bay Downs, joining state steward Reese Howard in the stewards’ booth.

Rigione worked last season as a racing official and alternate steward and has been at Tampa Bay Downs since 2009. She is a state steward at Delaware Park during the summer.

Hawkins has been a steward for 23 years, previously working in Louisiana at Evangeline Downs and Fair Grounds, where he also worked as a stakes coordinator. He was an association steward for the New York Racing Association from 2019-24.

Hawkins has also been a steward at the Far Hills (N.J.) steeplechase races, where Howard is the director of racing.

Howard is beginning his second season at Tampa Bay Downs, which is set to celebrate Opening Day of the 2024-25 meet on Wednesday.

Other “new faces in high places” at Tampa Bay Downs are Teena Appleby and Allan Rupert.

Appleby is the new Director of Safety/Safety Steward, replacing Patrick Bovenzi in that position. Bovenzi remains as the Horse Identifier.

Appleby, who worked previously for the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau in Fair Hill, Md., as Manager of Technician Operations and Investigations, will monitor all backside activities relating to the equine population and file reports with the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), which is the independent enforcement agency of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program.

Rupert is the track’s new Director of Food and Beverage, replacing Patrick Murphy, who remains as the Director of Poker. Rupert previously worked 12 years as Executive Chef and Director of Food and Beverage at Penn National Race Course and Mahoning Valley Race Course. His innovations for the upcoming meet include the “Grab & Go” enclosure on the first floor of the Grandstand, a mini-mart of sorts featuring a full selection of Anheuser-Busch beers, Pepsi products, Gatorade, Starbucks drinks, Celsius Energy Drinks, snacks and ice cream novelties.

“My goal is to provide outstanding food and beverage service in an exceptionally timely manner, which allows our racing fans to spend more time enjoying the on-track action,” Rupert said.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Swarzman, the assistant to Vice President of Marketing and Publicity Margo Flynn, has been named the track’s Director of Admissions, replacing Melissa Wirth, who retired after last season. Swarzman, who has been at the track for 14 years, also manages the Tampa Bay Downs Gift Shop.

Also, Richard Gamble has been named the track’s Director of Broadcasting, taking on additional duties since the track’s television production moved in-house after a long association with Sport View Technologies (SVT). Gamble has been at Tampa Bay Downs since the 2010-2011 meet.

Each of the track’s new and reassigned employees are committed to the ongoing success of Tampa Bay Downs, and in the case of the three stewards and Appleby, are horse lovers with long associations with the sport.

“Part of our job is to create a culture where the horse comes first,” said Howard, who was a steeplechase jockey from 1966-1976 and trained horses before becoming a racing official. “When the horses come first and stay sound, the riders will (be safer), the trainers will make more money, potential owners will decide they want to get in the game and, most importantly, fans will become more interested in coming to the racetrack and betting on the races.”

Appleby, who oversaw the sport’s recent transition from lip tattoos to microchip certification while she was with the TRPB, worked for the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission for 35 years in numerous capacities, including as an investigator and the state’s racetrack manager for Harrah’s Chester (now Harrah’s Philadelphia) Standardbred track.

“I had studied juvenile law, but I loved horses so much I stayed in the horse racing industry,” she said.

“I’m all about protecting the animal. Our job is to do whatever we can to keep the horses, the jockeys and the exercise riders safe,” Appleby said. “A lot of people don’t really understand what’s involved on a day-to-day basis in getting a horse ready to race, and if we can educate the public about how that is done and the safety measures that are in place, more people will want to become involved in the sport.”

The stewards handle a myriad of responsibilities, including licensing trainers, jockeys, exercise riders and backstretch personnel; taking morning scratches for each day’s racing action; issuing fines and/or suspensions for rules infractions; and working in concert with veterinarians to ensure the equine athletes are sound and drug-free.

But Howard, Rigione and Hawkins are rarely noticed by the public unless an infraction occurs during a race. For fans who have wagered on the outcome, that’s when time virtually stops.