Longtime DRF writer Rampellini dies at age 53

Mary Rampellini, a dedicated and respected racing reporter whose work reflected her lifelong passion for the sport, died early July 4 of complications from sepsis in a hospital in Grapevine, Texas. Rampellini, who had been a full-time reporter and handicapper for Daily Racing Form for 24 years, was 53.

Ralph E. Rampellini, her younger brother, said that Mary was surrounded by family at the time of her death.

The daughter of prominent horseman Ralph F. Rampellini, who managed the racing stables of Nelson Bunker Hunt and John Franks, Rampellini was respected throughout the industry and within Daily Racing Form for her work ethic, kindness, and wide-ranging capabilities. Her assignments included daily coverage of Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., and Lone Star Park in Texas, as well as other tracks throughout the Midwest and southern tier of the United States.

“Without a doubt, Mary was the nicest person I have ever met – not just in racing,” said Jody Swavy, editor in chief of Daily Racing Form. “You would be hard-pressed to find a better co-worker. She was kind, compassionate, and always willing to lend a hand. This is a devastating loss for all of us.”

A lifelong racetracker who spent her formative years on the ranches and farms where her dad worked, Rampellini held various jobs in the industry throughout her teens and displayed a knack for writing at a young age. She started her own newspaper in the Dallas-Fort Worth area as a teenager and got her first job as a reporter at the age of 19, according to her brother.

She was hired as a freelancer by Daily Racing Form in 1997 to cover the opening of Lone Star and brought on full-time in 2002.

:: Mary Rampellini: Memories from a little brother

Steven Asmussen, the Hall of Fame trainer who is a Texas native, said that he treasured his interactions with her, going back to when they first met at Lone Star in 1997.

“My boys have known her since they were just little kids,” Asmussen said. “She was so knowledgeable about horses, and that had a lot to do with her father and who he was. She understood barns, she understood what it felt like to win, she understood what it was like to lose. She was just such an unbelievably kind soul.”

In 2023, Rampellini wrote a children’s book, “Ollie the Oaklawn Owl: Whoooo’s That Horse?”, with illustrations by Renee Torbit. The book was published in collaboration with Coady Media. Two other titles followed: “Whoooo’s that Jockey?” and “Whoooo’s That Trainer?”

“Mary was so proud of becoming a children’s book author,” Swavy said. “She really wanted to get it right and spoke with my young daughters on numerous occasions to discuss the plot and get the pacing of the book just right. She really wanted to entertain and create a new generation of racing fans.”

Ralph Rampellini, her younger brother, said that Mary was devoted to racing, horses, her religion, and the people within the sport.

“She treated everyone with respect and dignity,” he said. “And she tried to present everyone in their best light. That’s not easy to do in the world she worked in.”

Rampellini is survived by her mother, Patricia; sisters Anna and Christina; and her brother, Ralph. Her father died in 2023.

Funeral services are pending.