Longtime Kentucky Racing Official Tomlinson Retires

The racing office at Keeneland is without one of its long-serving staffers following the retirement of Ron Tomlinson. The 78-year-old last worked at Keeneland a year ago during the spring meet and then missed the fall meet due to a planned medical procedure that was postponed until this year.

Tomlinson said he worked 42 years as a racing official and decided it "was time to do other things that I enjoy and take it easy."

During his decades in the sport, the former trainer worked at nine racetracks and performed almost every position on the racing-department staff except being a racing secretary and a member of the gate crew. Tomlinson was also a steward in Kentucky and Ohio.

Ben Huffman, racing secretary at Keeneland and vice president of racing and racing secretary at Churchill Downs, praised Tomlinson's contributions.

"Ron Tomlinson is the epitome of a great racing official," he said. "Ron has been dependable, loyal, and a friend to all since I've known him. There isn't a position in the racing office he could not do. He is probably the best race hustler I have ever worked with."

"Race hustling" is the practice of a racing office employee calling a trainer to encourage him or her to fill a race with a horse so the race can attract sufficient entries to be carded.

"I just tried to hustle them if I felt they could be competitive," Tomlinson said, "and many times they won races 'cause I got them in a race."

Tomlinson, who lives on four acres in Walton in Northern Kentucky, plans to spend time with family in retirement, he said.