The Jockey Club has awarded five academic scholarships for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Lauren Maas was selected to receive The Jockey Club Scholarship ($7,500 per semester), which is awarded to a student on an academic path toward employment in the equine industry. Maas earned her Master of Science in Animal Biology from UC-Davis with the thesis, “Arrhythmogenesis and Sudden Cardiac Death in Thoroughbred Racehorses.” She is attending veterinary school at the Royal Veterinary College in London and plans to return to the United States upon graduation to find employment as a racetrack veterinarian.
The Jockey Club Advancement of Women in Racing Scholarship ($10,000 per semester) is being awarded to Sophia Vega, who expects to graduate from the University of Kentucky in the spring of 2026 with a degree in Animal Science/Pre-Vet with an equine emphasis. Her goal is to become an equine veterinarian specializing in equine orthopedic and soft tissue surgery. She works as a nursing technician at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital and is an Ed Brown Society Scholar and scholarship recipient. She recently served as Keeneland's Department of Equine Safety and Compliance's first intern under Dr. Stuart Brown and Kassie Creed.
Giovanni Ricardo will receive The Jockey Club Vision Scholarship ($10,000 per semester), which is awarded to an undergraduate student who is from a minority racial or ethnic group. Ricardo is studying Finance and Marketing at the University of Kentucky and expects to graduate in May 2026. Giovanni is a current Ed Brown Society Scholar and a Keeneland Ambassador, and his goal is to modernize marketing strategies within the sport of Thoroughbred racing and to work with organizations dedicated to the long-term growth of the industry.
The Jockey Club Benevolence Scholarship ($7,500 per semester) provides needs-based assistance with preference to backstretch and horse farm employees and their family members and was awarded to Xochilt Solorio. Solorio is studying Civil Engineering with a primary focus on transportation at Northeastern University. Her parents work at Belmont Park; her father is a day walker and groom, and her mother is a hot walker.
Nathan Klein is the recipient of The Jockey Club Jack Goodman Scholarship ($3,000 per semester), which is open to students enrolled in the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program. Klein plans to graduate from RTIP in May 2026 with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Sciences. He is a race caller at TSG Global Wagering Solutions LLC and is also a member of the University of Arizona equestrian team. His goal is to become a racetrack announcer.
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