Lutz resigning as Breeders’ Cup chief operating officer

Matt Lutz, chief operating officer of Breeders’ Cup Ltd., has notified the organization that he will leave at the end of the year, Breeders’ Cup confirmed Wednesday.

Lutz’s departure, first reported on the racing website Paulick Report, was said to be voluntary. Following his resignation, Lutz will take a position with the Beck family of Gainesway Farm. Antony Beck, the owner of Gainesway, is a board member of Breeders’ Cup, and the family has extensive business holdings worldwide, including in South Africa, the family’s native country.

Lutz, who was hired by Breeders’ Cup in 2007, had interviewed for the position of chief executive of Breeders’ Cup earlier this year. The organization ended up hiring Craig Fravel, the former president and general manager of Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

Prior to being hired by Breeders’ Cup, Lutz was chief financial officer of Manhattan Holdings in Baltimore. He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and got his MBA from Columbia Business School.