Today it was announced that one of horse racing’s rocks–a member of sport’s media without whom the sport might not be what it is, or heading where it can be–has retired from his beat. His beat, of course, was all of horse racing: Steven Crist is so many things to so many people–it’s hard to imagine not picking up The Form during the Saratoga meet and reading his insights every day. You didn’t have to agree with him, but you did have to read him. Rather like the required textbooks in freshman college courses, reading Crist was a prerequisite for anyone who wanted to learn about horse racing, and for lifelong fans and bettors who wanted to sharpen their skills.
Yes, Crist will be missed: when asked to comment, Gary Contessa spoke unabashedly about his admiration for the media giant. Gary does not hand out compliments like lemon drops, for praise must be earned. Crist earned Contessa’s respect, in spades:“What can one say about Steve Crist? He was never afraid to speak his mind in a business where most people are afraid to really say what they think. No issue was out of reach for him, and he is and always will be one of racing’s greatest friends. vHis wisdom and knowledge will be missed terribly. A great man.”
Many thanks to Thoroughbred Daily News for this thorough report on Steven Crist’s exit from the spotlight:
Longtime Daily Racing Form executive and columnist Steven Crist announced his retirement Wednesday. Crist served as the company’s Chief Executive until 2002, and most recently filled the roles of editor and publisher emeritus.
“I can’t think of a single individual who has contributed more to Daily Racing Form throughout its illustrious 123-year history than Steven Crist,” said John Hartig, DRFChairman and CEO. “Steve has been an outstanding steward of the DRF brand, outspoken advocate of the horseplayer, and has brought innovations to racing and to our fans like no other. Over his 35-year career in racing, Steve’s relentless passion and his long-standing commitment to elevating the sport has earned him the highest respect of industry professionals and his colleagues alike. I am deeply appreciative of Steve’s numerous contributions and wish him continued good health and abundant success in playing the game into retirement.”
“I’m fortunate to have spent my career in and around the greatest game ever invented and to have worked with so many talented colleagues at DRF for the betterment of the game and its customers,” Crist commented. “I’m really looking forward to doing some other things in retirement, but my heart won’t be far from the racetrack.”
Crist covered racing as a reporter and columnist for The New York Times from 1981 to 1990. In 1990, he became the founding Editor-in-Chief of The Racing Times. In 1992, Crist was appointed by New York Gov. Mario Cuomo as a member of a state advisory commission on racing and he was a vice president of the New York Racing Association from 1994 to 1997.
In 1998, Crist and Alpine Capital purchased and transformed DRF. The company introduced new weekly print publications, instituted a book-publishing division, began selling past performances online, and introduced new products including Formulator and TicketMaker. Crist continued to write a weekly column and a blog, frequently advocating player-friendly changes to the racing game.
Crist’s also influenced the sport as a horseplayer, starting with his time as a frequent guest on the NYRA replay show hosted by Harvey Pack. It was there that he showed a somewhat different approach to picking horses, specifically applying math, logic, and probability in making wagers. His method of strategically weighting horses in each race and forming “back-up tickets” enhanced his chances of hitting the pick six and resulted in Crist cashing many large pick-six payouts.
“Whether as a bettor, reporter, columnist, editor, publisher, author or racetrack executive, Steven Crist has been America’s voice of the horseplayer for more than 35 years,” said Alex Waldrop, President and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. “His contributions to Thoroughbred racing are immense and we hope that he remains an advocate for our sport and its customers for many years to come.”
In 2010, Crist was one of four in the inaugural class of racing journalists named to the Media Honor Roll in the sport’s Hall of Fame, along with Charles Hatton, Bill Nack, and Red Smith. Last year, he was also inducted into the Hall of Fame for the National Handicapping Championship, an event he helped create in 1999. He was also instrumental in making the winner of the NHC a recipient of an Eclipse Award, thereby elevating the horseplayer to the level of other major figures in the sport.
“Steve Crist’s contributions to racing are unparalleled,” said NYRA CEO and President Chris Kay. “The entire industry has benefited from his endeavors, whether as a journalist, racetrack executive or handicapper, and I am sure those benefits will continue going forward. I have been fortunate to meet some remarkable people during my time at the New York Racing Association, and none more remarkable in their commitment to the sport than Steve, particularly here at Saratoga Race Course.”
The 59-year-old is the author of several books about the sport including the memoir Betting on Myself(2003) and Exotic Betting (2006). Crist lives in Hempstead, N.Y., with his wife Robin Foster and two retired racing greyhounds.