Santa Anita Names Steve Lym as Racing Secretary

Santa Anita Park announced Dec. 22 that Canadian racing official Steve Lym will be the track's new vice president of racing and racing secretary. Lym will take over for Rick Hammerle, who was removed from those positions Nov. 30.

Steeped in the Thoroughbred business from childhood, Lym served as Woodbine's racing secretary from 2003 through 2013 and as its director of racing from 2013 until just recently.

Lym will officially move into his roles at Santa Anita after Jan. 1.

"I'll be there the first week in January, and (my wife) Jennifer and I are looking forward to this new chapter in our life," Lym said. "Coming from Woodbine—where we, too, are a bit isolated in terms of ready access to other major tracks—I see similarities in the business model that Santa Anita is faced with, and I think I bring a skill set that will transfer nicely to Southern California."

"Steve is very excited to be coming to Santa Anita, and we're fortunate to be getting a man of his stature and character," said Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer for The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita. "In addition to his wide breadth of experience as a horseman and racing official, Steve has served on a number of national and international boards and committees, including the Breeders' Cup selection panel, which will serve him well in his new position."

In addition to his Breeders' Cup efforts, Lym's standing in the Thoroughbred industry has been further enhanced by his involvement with the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities' World's Best Racehorse Ranking Committee and the Jockey Club of Canada's Graded Stakes Committee.

"We think Steve's overall experience is going to prove invaluable," Ritvo said. "In his position at Woodbine, he was basically dealing with a year-round racing dynamic, which will serve him well here at Santa Anita. As everyone knows we have a number of industry stakeholders that we deal with on a daily basis, and Steve has already told me that he looks forward to working with all of them, including groups here in California such as the (California Horse Racing Board), (Thoroughbred Owners of California), and (California Thoroughbred Trainers)."

In advance of Lym's arrival, the Santa Anita racing office is being headed by racing director Dan Eidson, who along with The Stronach Group's vice president of racing, PJ Campo, has overseen the production of Santa Anita's first condition book, as well as entries for Dec. 26, 28, and 29.  

"We're excited that Steve will soon be joining forces with Dan and PJ, and together we are going to be presenting our fans and horsemen with fair and consistent racing across the board," Ritvo said.  "Steve and our entire team know that we have to embrace change and produce the best possible product for our customers to wager on. We can't wait for opening day."