The NTWAB internship guidance program, now in its fourth year, has already proven to be very effective. Previous interns have gone on to work full-time within the industry, including Lillian Davis, who became assistant news editor at Paulick Report this summer.
“Thanks to NTWAB’s generous matching grant, Lillian joined the Paulick Report as an intern in June,” said Chelsea Hackbarth, news editor at Paulick Report. “Her writing skills and reliability impressed us so much that we hired her full-time within a month of the internship. Her skill in photography and her willingness to find and eloquently share the untold stories have always exceeded expectations, and she is clearly one of the rising stars in this industry.”
Funding from the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters 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 upon completion of the internship.
The internship initiative is closely aligned with The Jockey Club’s mission to provide leadership and support that strengthens the Thoroughbred industry. The Jockey Club recognized the value of the program and enthusiastically worked with NTWAB to expand these efforts early 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 fellowships and internships supported by The Jockey Club, workforce development in journalism is a high priority, and we are grateful 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 TDN because the learning curve is so steep, and without a stipend from the NTWAB we wouldn’t have done it because of the cost,” said Sue Finley, publisher and CEO of Thoroughbred Daily News. “But fortunately, with the organization’s help, we were able to bring in Noah Meagher, a senior in the University of Kentucky’s animal science program, who is interested in journalism. Noah quickly caught on and quickly became an integral part of our race writers, working with the staff on long weekends to cover the day’s races. It turned out to be such a successful experiment that we kept him on Saturday when school started back up. We appreciate all the help we received from the NTWAB and We were so happy to have a could give aspiring grasswrights the experience they need to get a job in the field.”
At BloodHorse, Isaiah Pinto, a journalism student at the University of Kentucky, gained hands-on experience in the Lexington, Kentucky office and on behalf of Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Belterra Park and Fasig-Tipton.
“All of these experiences will stay with me throughout my career,” he said.
While at Belterra Park, Pinto noted a historic performance by jockey Perry Ouzts, who set the all-time North American mountain record last summer. Below are two of Pinto’s written pieces about the 71-year-old rider.
READ: Making history: Ouzts nears all-time record
READ: 53,579 Rides and Counting: Ouzts Breaks Mounts Record
Any equine publication or broadcast interested in internship assistance for 2026 is encouraged to apply by Friday, December 19. Applicants must submit a brief description of the anticipated responsibilities of the internship, estimated total costs, and requested funding to a member of the NTWAB internship committee or to ntwab2014@gmail.com.
When reviewing applications, the NTWAB Internship Committee will give priority to outlets that have not previously received support, although all eligible organizations are welcome to apply. No preference will be given to companies affiliated with The Jockey Club or its affiliates, such as BloodHorse, although they are eligible to apply. Outlets may apply for funding for multiple internships, provided such requests do not exclude support from other applicants.
The NTWAB prefers internships that provide meaningful educational value: opportunities for students to learn, gain hands-on experience, and publish professional work. Organizations receiving assistance retain full autonomy over intern selection, scheduling, and day-to-day responsibilities.
Students interested in an equine journalism internship can also contact NTWAB at ntwab2014@gmail.com. The organization may refer potential interns to participating news media in the coming weeks.
This press release has not been edited by BloodHorse. If there are any questions, please contact the organization that produced the release.
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