Prominent Thoroughbred owner and breeder Everett Dobson, who serves on the boards of several Thoroughbred industry organizations, has been appointed a Keeneland Trustee. Dobson succeeds Lane’s End Farm owner William S. Farish, who has been a Keeneland Trustee since 2006. Farish will remain on Keeneland’s Board of Directors.
Dobson was named to Keeneland’s Board in September 2018. He joins Claiborne Farm Chairman Seth W. Hancock and William M. Lear Jr., Chair Emeritus of Stoll Keenon Ogden, as a Keeneland Trustee.
A native of Cheyenne, Oklahoma, Dobson races as Cheyenne Stables and owns Candy Meadows Farm near Lexington, where he has some 30 broodmares. He serves on The Jockey Club’s Board of Stewards and is a Breeders’ Cup Director. He is Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chairman of the American Graded Stakes Committee.
Dobson is CEO of Dobson Technologies and its subsidiaries, which focus on operating a 3,000-mile fiber optic network and a managed IT business serving enterprise customers throughout Oklahoma and North Texas. He also is minority owner of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder.
“Everett Dobson has demonstrated his commitment to the Thoroughbred industry through his service to industry organizations such as The Jockey Club, Breeders’ Cup, TOBA and the American Graded Stakes Committee,” Hancock said. “His values are consistent with those of Keeneland: betterment of the horse industry.”
Farish has been a member of Keeneland’s Board of Directors since 1985. A native of Houston, Texas, he is a lifelong Thoroughbred owner and breeder who, with his family, operates Lane’s End in Versailles, Kentucky. Farish has raced more than 165 stakes winners and bred more than 300 stakes winners, among them Horses of the Year Mineshaft, A.P. Indy and Charismatic and champion Lemon Drop Kid. In 1992 and 1999, he received the Eclipse Award as outstanding breeder.
“Will Farish has been a tremendous champion of Keeneland during his nearly 35 years of service on the Board and as a Trustee,” Lear said. “His invaluable support has taken many forms – from the board room, to major consignor and buyer, to leading owner, and to sponsor of the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup. His expertise and stature are unrivaled in the industry.”
Throughout his life, Farish has been a leading contributor to the Thoroughbred industry. He served as Chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs from 1992-2001. He has been a Steward and Vice Chairman of The Jockey Club and a Director and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Breeders’ Cup. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Farish as the United States Ambassador to the Court of St. James. He served in that role for three years.