Broadbent, founder of BRIS, dead

Richard Broadbent III, the founder of Bloodstock Research Information Services and the weekly Thoroughbred Times, died on Monday. Broadbent was 73.

A Kentucky native, graduate of West Point, and former bloodstock agent, Broadbent launched Bloodstock Research Information Services, which was known as BRIS, in 1971, initially as a pedigree service to breeders and owners. The service soon branched out to handicapping products, and in 2001, the service launched its own account-wagering platform, using its proprietary products as a way to reward and retain its handicapping customers.

Recognizing the potential of using his pedigree information and client database to drive subscriptions, Broadbent launched Thoroughbred Times in 1985, and in 1988 merged with The Thoroughbred Record.

Broadbent largely left the Thoroughbred business in 2007 after he sold BRIS and brisnet.com to Churchill Downs Inc. as part of a larger deal by Churchill to consolidate the account-wagering market. Churchill currently uses the service's data to provide incentives and perks to its customers. The handicapping service continues to be run by Broadbent's son, Richard, known as Happy.

In addition to Happy, Broadbent is survived by his wife, Sandy; another son, John; and two daughters, Martha and Allison.