2021 Hall of Fame Inductees

Tommy Azopardi

His career did not start out in racing, but in 199,7 he was offered the opportunity to become the Chief Executive Officer of the Texas Horsemen’s Partnership, LLC (THP), the representative organization for the owners and trainers of all horses racing at pari-mutuel tracks in Texas. When this opportunity for him to make a difference in the Texas racing industry arose, he grabbed it and dove in with all his energy.

Azopardi took the helm at the THP during a tumultuous and exciting time for Texas racing, bringing stability to the organization and a strategic approach that helped deftly guide the organization through the growth of the industry in the late 1990s and early 2000s. As CEO of the THP, Azopardi led a small team that developed a number of innovative programs designed to improve the lives and businesses of its members, as well as their employees living and working in the stable areas at Texas racetracks.

Under Azopardi’s leadership, the THP worked with The Jockey Club and its subsidiaries to develop the Central Horsemen’s Bookkeeping System, which established a revolutionary and efficient way for horsemen and women to access their money at any track operating in Texas. This groundbreaking system, developed for Texas Horsemen’s Partnership, quickly spread across the country and has provided relief and efficiency for horsemen and women all over the U.S. when it comes to managing the funds in their horsemen’s bookkeeper accounts.

Azopardi also has a passion for providing opportunities for professional development and programs that improve the quality of life for those who work at Texas racetracks. One of Tommy’s first programs was bringing education to the stable area of each track in an effort to put the safety and welfare of the horses at the forefront. These one-day seminars were so popular that he put the THP’s support squarely behind the development of the Groom Elite Program, which held its first groom training classes at Lone Star Park in 2001. Believing in the value of the educational program and seeing the need for formal professional development of grooms and trainers nationwide, Azopardi served as the president of Groom Elite, Inc. for more than 10 years, working to help spread the program’s classes to many other states. He also worked to get the Groom Elite Program recognized by the U.S. government to assist in attaining H2B visas for grooms – something that benefits horsemen and women across the country.

Azopardi’s focus on expanding the THP’s benefits and services for its members and their employees also led to other initiatives, such as strengthening the chaplaincy at all Texas racetracks, hosting horsemen’s appreciation parties and holiday dinners at the racetracks, and offering off-site shuttles to shopping areas for racetrack stable area employees.

Improving communication to racehorse owners and trainers was also a priority for Azopardi, who directed the launch of an official THP member publication, The Texas Horsemen’s News, and a redesigned THP website, www.texashorsemen.com, that provided members online access to their horsemen’s bookkeeper accounts, as well as news and information important to their racing-related businesses.

During Azopardi’s tenure with the THP, he represented the interest of Texas horsemen and women in negotiations with the Texas racetracks, as well as making sure the THP worked with the tracks to bring Texas such nationally prominent events as the 1997 All-Star Jockey Challenge Championships, the 2002 Great State Challenge at Sam Houston Race Park, and the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Championships at Lone Star Park.

Under Azopardi’s leadership, the THP grew a national reputation as an innovator among horsemen’s organizations. As a result, Azopardi was invited to serve on the Executive Committee of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA), where he was instrumental in the organization’s advocacy for horsemen’s rights and professional development opportunities. During this time, Tommy worked with the Kentucky HBPA and others to resurrect the organization’s historic but dormant publication, The Horsemen’s Journal, in order to serve as a voice for horsemen all over North America. Azopardi was also pivotal in getting THP Chairman John Roark elected president of the National HBPA – the first time a Texas horseman or woman had been chosen to lead the largest racing horsemen’s representative association in North America. Azopardi served on the National HBPA Executive Committee for more than 10 years.

Many times, Azopardi has been instrumental in building coalitions with other organizations within the Texas racing industry to benefit the horsemen and women of Texas. Azopardi played a key role in developing the first and subsequent cross-species agreements that benefit the participants in both horse and dog racing in Texas. He also helped establish a political coalition to pursue legislation to aid the Texas racing industry that included every racetrack, as well as every racing horsemen’s organization and dog racing organization in the state.

In 2009, Azopardi accepted the opportunity to become the president of Texans for Economic Development, allowing him to focus his day-to-day efforts on working to find legislative solutions to allow the struggling racing industry in Texas to reach a more level playing field with all surrounding states and countries that have legalized additional forms of gaming that aid their horse racing purses.

In 2019, Azopardi was a key leader in the Texas racing industry’s effort that resulted in the Texas legislature passing bills that have added $25 million per year to the Texas horse racing industry and stabilized the funding for the Texas Racing Commission while reducing the financial burden on all racetrack license holders.

True to his roots, Azopardi still owns and races horses in partnership, supporting Texas trainers and racetracks. His horses race under the stable name Alpha Lucky Stables, LLC.