Arlington names racing VP

Kevin Greely had been the focus of speculation as to who would replace Frank Gabriel and head up racing operations at Arlington Park, and on Thursday, Arlington made it official, naming Greely vice president of racing and racing secretary.

The position came open when Gabriel, a longtime Arlington executive, left his post as director of racing to become the chief executive officer of the Dubai Racing Club, putting him in charge of racing operations at the prestigious Nad Al Sheba racetrack in Dubai.

Greely is making the opposite move. He has worked in Dubai for more than 10 years, and he is departing his position as secretary to the racing association and racing secretary. Greely's duties in Dubai were extensive, and included organizing the Emirates Racing Association programs at five tracks in the United Arab Emirates and supervising more than 100 racing officials.

Greely worked previously at several U.S. tracks, including Arlington, where he was a racing official in the mid-1980's.

The announcement came two days after the resignation of Cliff Goodrich as Arlington's president. Arlington and its parent company, Churchill Downs Inc., now must concentrate on filling that post.