Harper to retire as Del Mar CEO at end of year

Joe Harper, a fixture in Del Mar management since 1977 and the track’s current chief executive officer, is retiring at the end of the year, the track announced in a statement Friday.

Del Mar is in the midst of its summer meeting through Sept. 7 and will have an autumn meeting from Nov. 6-Dec. 6. After the fall meeting, Harper will assume title of CEO emeritus. In the statement, Harper said he will serve the track’s board of director as an adviser.

The track’s current president, Josh Rubinstein, will succeed Harper as CEO and continue to serve as president, according to the statement.

Harper, 83, joined Del Mar as general manager in 1977, having previously served as executive vice president of the Oak Tree Racing Association, which ran the autumn meeting at Santa Anita at the time.

:: Play to Win at Del Mar! Get DRF Past Performances, Expert Picks and Clocker Reports

During Harper’s tenure at Del Mar, the track rose in prominence on a national and international level. Del Mar has hosted the Breeders’ Cup four times, most recently last year. Harper oversaw the redevelopment of the track’s grandstand in the early 1990s.

The track has two of the premier race meetings in the nation. In 1977, the overall handle at Del Mar’s summer meeting was more than $92.9 million. The track handled more than $534.2 million last summer.

Aside from his role at Del Mar, Harper has worked on behalf of a wide variety of horse-related organizations and charities, including The Jockey Club, the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, and as chairman of the advisory board of the center for equine health at University-California Davis.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.