Marc Guilfoil appointed executive director for Kentucky commission

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Marc Guilfoil, a longtime official with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, has been promoted to executive director, the administration of newly elected Gov. Matt Bevin announced on Tuesday.

Guilfoil was most recently the commission’s director of racing, and he has served as the deputy executive director of the commission in the past. Guilfoil, a native of Kentucky, has been with the KHRC since 1988, one year after graduating from the University of Kentucky with a B.S. in agriculture.

Guilfoil will fill an opening created by the departure last week of John Ward, who had been the executive director of the KHRC since 2012. Ward, 70, a former trainer, said he was informed recently by officials in Bevin’s administration that they intended to make a change in his position.

Guilfoil’s long tenure at the commission has made him well versed in the commission’s responsibilities and its procedures. He is often used as a liaison between commissioners and the state’s various horseracing constituencies. Guilfoil is also an accredited steward for Thoroughbred, Standardbred, and Quarter Horse racing.

Although his administration has not yet hinted at its larger plans for the commission, Bevin is expected to reshuffle the commission’s makeup. The former chairman of the commission, the attorney Robert Beck, resigned on Dec. 1 shortly after Bevin, a Republican with Tea Party ties, won the gubernatorial election.