Tim Ritvo, a long-serving executive at The Stronach Group, is leaving the company as its chief operating officer “to pursue other opportunities,” the company said in a release on Monday afternoon. Ritvo, who was first hired by the company as the general manager of its Gulfstream Park in South Florida in 2011, was elevated to chief operating officer in 2012. Since then, he has maintained offices at many of the company’s racetracks, including Santa Anita Park in Southern California, Gulfstream, and Laurel Park in Maryland. Rumors of Ritvo’s departure have dogged the company for more than a year. Within The Stronach Group, Ritvo was considered a vital conduit to implementing the company’s policies, some of which were extremely unpopular with horsemen and other racing constituents. Ritvo was a rider on the New England circuit early in his career. He retired and turned to training, and then took a position with the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association before being hired by TSG in 2011. “I am honored to have been part of The Stronach Group and am proud of the accomplishments that we have made for the industry across our racing and training programs,” Ritvo said in a release distributed by TSG. “As a former jockey, passionate fan, and lifelong horseman, I am grateful to have been part of the team.” Belinda Stronach, the chairman of TSG, said in the release that Ritvo will continue to play a role at the company. “I want to thank Tim for his 24/7, day-in and day-out commitment to our company and our sport and for the invaluable contributions he has made to the repositioning and profitability of our business,” Stronach said. Late in 2019, TSG hired Craig Fravel, the former chief executive of Breeders’ Cup, as its chief executive. The company has recently attempted to rebrand its racing operations under the name 1/ST Racing (pronounced “first racing”). The company’s operations in California took a significant blow in 2019 when a spate of deaths at Santa Anita led to widespread criticism of the track and racing in general. At the time of the deaths, some horsemen had complained that Ritvo had placed pressure on trainers to enter races, but Ritvo denied those accusations. In the release, The Stronach Group said it “has no immediate plans” to fill Ritvo’s position.