Now entering its fourth year, the NTWAB internship assistance program has already proven highly effective. Previous interns have moved directly into full-time roles within the industry, including Lillian Davis, who became an assistant news editor at Paulick Report this summer.

“Thanks to the generous matching grant from NTWAB, Lillian joined the Paulick Report as an intern in June,” said Chelsea Hackbarth, news editor at Paulick Report. “Her writing ability and reliability impressed us so much that we hired her full-time less than a month into the internship. Her skill in photography and willingness to find and eloquently share the untold stories have been consistently above expectations, and she is clearly one of the rising stars in this industry.”

Funding from the National Turf Writers Association Charitable Foundation and The Jockey Club is structured to cover up to half of a participating outlet’s payroll and expenses, reimbursing up to $3,000 per internship. So an outlet spending $6,000 would receive $1,500 each from NTWAB and The Jockey Club following the internship’s completion.

The internship initiative aligns closely with The Jockey Club’s mission to provide leadership and support that strengthen the Thoroughbred industry. Recognizing the program’s value, The Jockey Club enthusiastically partnered with NTWAB to expand this effort beginning next year.

“The Jockey Club is pleased to support the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters internship program,” said James L. Gagliano, president and COO of The Jockey Club. “Among the scholarships and internships supported by The Jockey Club, workforce development in journalism is a high priority, and we are thankful to the NTWAB for their leadership here.” 

In 2025, NTWAB-supported internships were hosted by Paulick Report, Thoroughbred Daily News (TDN), BloodHorse, and ESPN Louisville.

“Hiring a summer intern is a tough task at the TDN, because the learning curve is so steep, and without a stipend from the NTWAB, we wouldn’t have done so because of the cost,” said Sue Finley, publisher and CEO at Thoroughbred Daily News. “But thankfully, with assistance from the organization, we were able to engage Noah Meagher, a senior at the University of Kentucky’s animal science program, who has an interest in journalism. Noah caught on quickly and soon became an integral part of our race-writing crew, working with the staff on long weekends to provide coverage of the day’s races. It turned out to be such a successful experiment that we kept him on for Saturdays once school started up again. We really appreciate all of the help we got from the NTWAB and were so happy to be able to give an aspiring turf writer the experience he’ll need to land a job in the field.”

At BloodHorse, University of Kentucky journalism student Isaiah Pinto gained hands-on experience working in its Lexington, Ky., office and on assignment at Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Belterra Park, and Fasig-Tipton.

“All sorts of those experiences will last with me throughout my career,” he said.

While at Belterra Park, Pinto chronicled a history-making achievement from jockey Perry Ouzts, who set the all-time North American mounts record this past summer. Two of Pinto’s written pieces about the 71-year-old rider appear here and here.

Any equine publication or broadcast outlet interested in internship assistance for 2026 is encouraged to apply by Friday, Dec. 19. Applicants should submit a brief description of the internship’s projected responsibilities, estimated total costs, and requested funding to an NTWAB internship committee member or to ntwab2014@gmail.com.

In reviewing applications, the NTWAB internship committee will give priority to outlets that have not previously received support, though all eligible organizations are welcome to apply. No preference will be given to companies affiliated with The Jockey Club or its subsidiaries, such as BloodHorse, though they are eligible to apply. Outlets may request funding for multiple internships, provided such requests do not preclude support for other applicants.

The NTWAB favors internships that offer meaningful educational value—opportunities for students to learn, gain field experience, and publish professional work. Organizations receiving assistance retain full autonomy over intern selection, planning, and day-to-day responsibilities.

Students interested in pursuing an equine journalism internship may also contact NTWAB at ntwab2014@gmail.com. The organization can direct prospective interns to participating news outlets in the coming weeks.

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