The Jockey Club's 2027 talent pipeline is now open, giving college students, recent graduates and racing families a chance to gain a foothold in the industry before the next summer season begins. Applications are open for a paid Lexington internship accommodating up to three participants, as well as three scholarship programs supporting equine careers, workforce families and race-track education. The application deadline for all programs is Jan. 8, 2027.
According to The Jockey Club's announcement published by Paulick Report, the internship will run for eight weeks during summer 2027. Interns will rotate through the organization's companies and departments, then spend additional time in areas that match their interests. That structure is more useful than a narrow office placement for applicants still deciding whether their future belongs in registration, industry technology, communications, owner services or another corner of Thoroughbred racing.
The program will be based at The Jockey Club's Lexington office, with selected interns expected to be notified in March. Interested candidates can apply through the organization's internship application. For young horsemen and women, the opportunity offers something a racing résumé cannot always show on its own: exposure to the administrative and information systems that support the sport well beyond the grandstand and stable area.
The largest awards are three Jockey Club Scholarships worth $20,000 each, paid at $10,000 per semester for the 2027-28 academic year. Full-time undergraduate and graduate students pursuing majors that could lead to equine-industry employment are eligible, regardless of breed or discipline, although applicants expressing a desire to work in the Thoroughbred business receive preference. The award's breadth matters in a sector that needs talent not only in breeding and racing operations but also in veterinary science, business, communications and technology.
The Nancy C. Kelly Benevolence Scholarship takes a different aim, providing $15,000, or $7,500 per semester, to Thoroughbred farm and backstretch workers and their families who have suffered financial hardship. Recipients do not have to pursue an equine or Thoroughbred career, and the money can be used at a college, university or trade program. That makes the award a direct investment in the people whose labor keeps farms and racetracks operating, rather than simply another recruiting tool for future industry executives.
The third award, the Jack Goodman Scholarship, will provide $6,000, split into $3,000 semester payments, to a student enrolled in the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program. Goodman, a longtime Jockey Club member and one of the RTIP's three founders, gives the award a particularly strong connection to the sport's management pipeline. Scholarship recipients will be announced in spring 2027 ahead of the fall distribution, and applications and program information are available through the Jockey Club scholarship portal.