Handel appointed to NYRA post

Hal Handel has been appointed to the position of executive vice president and

chief operating officer of the New York Racing Association (NYRA), officials

announced Thursday. Handel, 60, will assume his new role effective September 10. 

Handel departs Greenwood Racing of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, where he has been

chief executive officer since 1998. In that role, he oversaw the

renovation of Philadelphia Park's grandstand in 2000 and the development of New

Jersey's first off-track wagering facility, "Favorites," which opened in

Vineland in 2007. 

Previously, he held leadership roles at the New Jersey Sports & Exposition

Authority's Meadowlands and Monmouth Park, where he was general manager from

1986 to 1991 and executive vice president and chief operating officer from 1991

to 1998. During his tenure, he facilitated the transition in 1986 of

Monmouth Park from a public company to a state-owned racetrack operated by the

New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority. Handel also furthered

development of the Hambletonian at the Meadowlands and Haskell Invitational H.

(G1) at Monmouth Park into benchmark racing events.

Handel, a graduate of Rutgers University, earned his law degree at Seton Hall

University in 1972. During his four years as deputy attorney general for

the State of New Jersey Organized Crime & Special Prosecutions Unit, Handel

supervised the investigation of the Tony Ciulla race fixing case. Handel joined

the New Jersey Racing Commission in 1977, serving first as counsel, then deputy

director and finally as executive director from 1983 to 1986.

"I have known Hal Handel for more than 20 years and consider him one of the

very best racing executives in the country," NYRA President and CEO Charles

Hayward said. "Hal brings to NYRA a broad portfolio of experience including

account wagering, off-track betting, horsemen's relations and strong leadership

skills. He will be a huge addition to the NYRA management team."

Handel has served in a variety of other leadership roles in horse racing as

well. He was formerly a trustee of the American Horse Council, chairman of

the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau, director of Harness Tracks of America

and has been a director of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations since 1986,

including a two-year term as the organization's president.

"I am honored to join the superb management group NYRA has put together,"

Handel said.  "Through the leadership of Chairman Steve Duncker, an

activist board of trustees, and CEO Charlie Hayward, NYRA has reinvented

itself at the very highest levels of accountability and integrity and has a

brilliant vision for leading the racing industry in the United States. I

share their commitment to make that vision a reality."

Handel's wife, Sheila, is a licensed diabetes educator and RN at Princeton

Medical Center. Their son, Matt, is a senior at Haverford College in Haverford,

Pennsylvania. The Handels have residences in Cranbury, New Jersey, and New

York City.

According to a press release issued by Greenwood Racing, Bill Hogwood will

now serve as its chief executive officer. Joe Wilson, who has recently

taken over as chief operating officer of the Philadelphia Park operation, will

take on additional responsibilities in New Jersey.

"All of us at Greenwood Racing wish Hal good fortune and great success at NYRA in his new role,"

Greenwood Racing Chairman Bob Green said. "Hal has been a close colleague and a good friend to many

in our operation. We appreciate

the contribution he made to our company and the racing industry in both

Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the nine years we worked together. We believe he

is the ideal person to take up this important position at NYRA."