David Schmitz, Longtime BloodHorse Employee, Dies at 70

David Paul Schmitz, a longtime and valued employee for BloodHorse and an avid outdoorsman, died Dec. 19 in Lexington, according to family and friends. He was 70.

Schmitz was born and grew up in Rochester, N.Y., where he acquired a love of horses and horse racing. His interest in racing led him to attend the University of Kentucky and by 1979 he had been hired by BloodHorse as a member of its research department, which had 18 employees at the time. A year later Schmitz moved into the advertising department as a copywriter where he worked until March 1988 when his byline first appeared in The Blood-Horse magazine.

As a member of the editorial team, Schmitz started with weekly contributions to the Dispatches news section with a segment called The Racing Front, which included updates on recent wins by horses that had previously won graded stakes and the siblings of graded stakes winners. He also contributed to the weekly Stud News column, though his byline would not appear with the column until April 20, 1991. He would pilot the column for the next 22 years, be the lead writer for all stallion news during the launch and evolution of BloodHorse.com, and contribute hundreds of features to the magazine and online. He retired from BloodHorse in March 2013.

When not helping chronicle the Thoroughbred breeding and racing industries, Schmitz was an avid runner and golfer. He loved being outdoors whether it was camping, hiking, or skiing.

Schmitz was predeceased by his father Paul J. Schmitz, his mother Katherine D. Schmitz (Arena), and his sister Paula. Survivors include his brothers Stephen (Sharon) and Mark; his nephew Daniel (Jodi) and niece Nicole (Neil); and his best friend and longtime partner Loretta Rupard; along with many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A graveside service will be held at The Lexington Cemetery Dec. 29 at 1 p.m. ET to celebrate his life with no prior calling hours. A memorial service will be held at a later date in Rochester. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association in memory of David.

Schmitz's family extended its deep gratitude and thanks to the staff of The Lantern at Morning Pointe Lexington and Baptist Health Hospital Hospice Care in Lexington for their kind and compassionate care.