Stuart S. Janney III, the chairman of The Jockey Club since 2015, will retire from the position in August of next year and be succeeded by Everett Dobson, the organization announced on Tuesday. Janney, who took over the chairmanship upon the retirement of his cousin, Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps, occupied the top position at the Jockey Club at a time when the organization aggressively lobbied for the legislation that would eventually create the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, despite deep pockets of resistance among many rank-and-file horsemen. Also under his tenure, The Jockey Club refocused its energies on its commercial businesses and recently underwent a restructuring to streamline its operations. Most significantly, the Jockey Club has pressed Equibase, a company co-owned by an association of racetracks, to modernize the collection of racing data. “I consider it a privilege to be associated with the accomplishments The Jockey Club has achieved over the past several years, including our many initiatives to sustain and grow the sport, and of course the passage of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act,” Janney said, in a release. “These accomplishments, and so many more, are because everyone at The Jockey Club puts the horse first, and I’m proud to be a member and to have served as chair.” Janney, 76, announced the retirement two weeks after he dispersed his breeding stock at the Keeneland November breeding sale. Janney, the son of Stuart and Barbara Janney, who bred and raced Hall of Famer Ruffian, was the co-breeder and co-owner of 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb with Dinny Phipps. He has said that he will continue to race his remaining weanlings, yearlings, and 2-year-olds, but that his children do not have interest in continuing the breeding operation. Janney, who was first appointed to the Jockey Club board as vice chair in 2010, was given the Eclipse Award of Merit last year. The award is considered to be among the highest recognitions in the sport. Because of the organization’s wide-ranging business interests and control over the breeding registry of the U.S., the chairman of The Jockey Club wields enormous influence over the domestic and international racing industry. Dobson, the owner of Candy Meadows Farm in Lexington, Ky., who races under the stable name Cheyenne Stables, is currently serving his second term as a steward of the Jockey Club. Dobson was recommended by Janney to take the chair of the organization, The Jockey Club said, and the board approved that recommendation. Janney will remain on The Jockey Club’s board of stewards through the end of his term in 2026. Dobson, a 65-year-old native of Oklahoma City, is on the executive committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and is the immediate past president of its American Graded Stakes Committee. He is also a member of the Breeders’ Cup and a trustee of the Keeneland Association. “I am honored to follow Stuart as chair of The Jockey Club,” Dobson said, in a release. “I will continue to ensure that The Jockey Club remains true to its mission of being dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing.” Dobson will officially be handed the reins in August of next year at The Jockey Club’s annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.