Former BC Executive Blatz-Murff Dies at 70

Pamela Blatz-Murff, former senior vice president of operations for Breeders' Cup Limited, died July 5 in Dallas after a short battle with cancer, her daughter, Tiffany Wesley, confirmed. Blatz-Murff was 70.

A native of La Jolla, Calif., Blatz-Murff had a vital career in Thoroughbred racing that spanned more than three decades, most of it with Breeders' Cup, where she specialized in all things involving the equine athlete. Throughout her 28 years with the Breeders' Cup, Blatz-Murff managed not only the organization's equine, racing,and horseman operations but created the worldwide foal and stallion nomination program, the organization's relationship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Breeders' Cup Challenge for World Championships qualifying races, and Stakes and Nominator incentive programs and awards.

During her tenure, the Breeders' Cup grew from a one-day event of seven races and $10 million in purses to a two-day event of 14 races and more than $25 million in purses and awards.

"It is with great sorrow that we note the passing of Pam Blatz-Murff, our colleague at the Breeders' Cup from 1984 through 2009," officials with Breeders' Cup said in a statement. "Pam played a critical role from the beginning of the Breeders' Cup in helping create the nominations and racing programs that are today pillars of one of the world's great racing festivals. 

"Among the many initiatives Pam played a major role in at the Breeders' Cup was the expansion of the event to two days in 2007, formation of the Veterinary Inspection Team and the implementation of the Breeders' Cup Security Protocols. Most notably, Pam enjoyed the camaraderie and respect of horsemen both domestically and internationally.  We will miss her passion for Thoroughbred racing and her pride in the Breeders' Cup and extend our deepest sympathies to Pam's daughter, Tiffany, and the family."

Blatz-Murff's commitment and passion for the equine athlete also led to protocols and programs that are used worldwide today. She developed, executed, and enforced strict drug and medication regulations not only for all Breeders' Cup races but also on a national scale as a 21-year member of the American Horse Council Health and Regulatory Committee, where she worked to strengthen the bio-security for the nation's equine population. She was instrumental in the creation of the Breeders' Cup injury management team that consists of the Breeders' Cup Veterinarian Inspection Team, the American Association of Equine Practitioners "On-Call" veterinarians, the USDA, and state, local, and federal authorities and agencies.

Blatz-Murff  fell in love with horses as a young girl, riding Quarter Horses and showing Western in Southern California, while the Blatz family raced Thoroughbreds at the local tracks. She and her husband, Clay, left Los Angeles for Lexington, and she started with the fledgling Breeders' Cup. There she began her dream of working in horse racing, using her real-estate skills to make cold calls to stallion farms across the country explaining the program and encouraging them to nominate their stallions.

In 2001, she was honored in Great Britain with the Derby Award for Services to International Racing by the Horserace Writers and Photographers Association of England during a ceremony in London. Blatz-Murff "was really the advance guard in energizing overseas owners and breeders to nominate and come to the Breeders' Cup," former Breeders' Cup president James E. "Ted" Bassett III said in a 2010 interview with BloodHorse. "She was also very effective in establishing the stallion and foal nomination program and shepherding it through some tumultuous peaks and valleys. ... Her body of work was one for which Breeders' Cup should always be appreciative. I have great respect and admiration for what she did, certainly during the years when I was president."

Blatz-Murff also brought her range of talent and expertise to several equine organizations including the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, where she was a board member and helped raise awareness and funding to support hundreds of retired Thoroughbreds across the country. She was also a member of the Kentucky Horse Park Commission, the Keeneland Association, the Thoroughbred Club of America, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, and the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association.

"She loved horses in every stage," Wesley said. "She pored over breeding pedigrees for weeks to make sure it was the right match for our own mares. She visited the fields with her orange bucket to spoil the mares and foals with sweet feed and carrots. She counted noses as they crossed the finish lines on Breeders' Cup day and wrote congratulations to friends, colleagues and owners across the world."

In recent years, Blatz-Murff shared her time between Lexington and visiting her grandchildren in Dallas.

A celebration of Blatz-Murff's life will be held in Lexington this month.

"My mom had two loves: her family and horse racing," Wesley said. "She loved being a grammie to my two kiddos more than anything, and she supported the sport into her final days watching Royal Ascot and talking about stallions and mares of years past.''

Wesley requested that contributions in her mother's memory be made to the T. Boone Pickens Center at Faith Presbyterian Hospice, Dallas, TX.