Four questions with Elizabeth Rogers, RTIP's newest professor

Elizabeth Rogers, an alumna of the Race Track Industry Program, brings over a decade of racing industry experience to her new faculty position. She has made significant strides in racing office roles at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races and Hollywood Gaming Mahoning Valley Race Course. Her most recent role was as Director of Racing at Mahoning Valley and has been an active member of the Racing Operations Committee (ROCO), collaborating with her counterparts at other racetracks on challenges faced by the industry. 

What inspired you to pursue a career in horse racing?

I took riding lessons in middle and high school and eventually competed in barrel racing, but I never experienced horse racing until I happened to see it on TV one day. It was the Preakness Stakes, and it was a horse named Afleet Alex. When they were coming out of the turn, another horse named Scrappy T cut off Afleet Alex, who stumbled and almost went to the ground – his nose nearly touched the ground. Somehow the horse recovered, the rider stayed on, and then they went on and won the race. For me, seeing that athleticism and that heart is what really drew me to horse racing. 

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You’ve had a successful career in race track operations. What drew you back to the U of A?

I was looking for a change of pace, and I’ve always enjoyed teaching. When I was at Charles Town, I was the primary person training people, and I really enjoyed being able to bring them into the world of horse racing. When the opportunity to come back and teach in the RTIP popped up, I decided to go for it. And I’m so happy to be back!

What classes do you teach?

A lot of my background is in racing office operations, and that’s what I’m teaching. In the fall, I’m teaching a class in racing business strategies, so we’re looking at track management – day-to-day operations, casino race track operations and racing globally. I also teach a class on managing the racing animals. In the spring, I’ll teach the race track operations class, where students learn about how track operations work – essentially, what I did at Mahoning. I’ll also teach a class on equine conformation.

Who’s your favorite racehorse?

Probably Zenyatta. She was racing when I first came to the race track industry program, and she was almost undefeated in her entire career. In 2008, she won the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic, and the following year she went up against the boys and beat them in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which is the big race. She was an incredible racehorse. She had a ton of personality, too – she was known for kind of dancing before a race. I got the opportunity to meet her when she was at Churchill Downs for her last race. She’ll always hold a special place in my heart.