Tony Chamblin, influential racing executive, dead at 81

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tony Chamblin, who led two highly influential racing organizations for more than three decades during a time of dramatic change in the racing industry, died on Sunday at his home in Kentucky of congestive heart failure, according to family members. Chamblin was 81.

Chamblin was one of the racing industry’s key leaders from the mid-1960s until the turn of the century as chief executive of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association from 1965-1983 and then chief executive of the Association of Racing Commissioners International from 1986-2001. Both were two of the most influential organizations in racing at the time.

At the National HBPA, Chamblin played a major role in helping shape the Interstate Horseracing Act, a federal bill passed in 1978 that laid the legal foundation for interstate simulcasting, which today provides approximately 90 percent of the betting revenues in the sport. During his tenure, the National HBPA was the only national horsemen’s organization in the U.S., and its influence in the industry carried enormous weight.

Chamblin headed the RCI, an umbrella group for state racing commissions, during a similarly powerful time for the organization. At the RCI, Chamblin overhauled most of the organization’s committees and pressed to develop new uniform classification guidelines for hundreds of drugs and medications, both legal and illegal, to aid racing commissions in their adjudication of post-race positives. The RCI also developed new model rules to govern the interstate simulcasting of races and the various bet-processing technologies that enabled the practice.

His tenure at the RCI ended in controversy, however. In 1997, a group of racing commissions left the RCI to form a rival organization, the North American Pari-Mutuel Regulators Association, amid tensions over Chamblin’s leadership. In 2001, Chamblin resigned with two years left on his contract, which had been amended late in 2000 to reduce his salary and benefits. Chamblin later sued two leaders of state racing commissions for defamation surrounding the dispute.

Chamblin announced his resignation during the opening ceremonies of the RCI’s convention in 2001. In a show of support, he received a standing ovation from most attendees of the ceremonies, but said that he “decided it was a good time to look for new challenges.”

Chamblin was born in Flora, Ill., and attended Milliken College in Decatur, Illinois, where he majored in English, according to his family. He became a sports writer after graduating and received multiple writing awards before turning his sights to horse racing just four years into his writing career.

Between stints at the National HBPA and RCI, Chamblin was the general manager for three years at Finger Lakes Racetrack in upstate New York, where he introduced full-card simulcasting, the pick six, and twilight racing to the track.

Chamblin is survived by his wife of 31 years, Debbie; two daughters, Margaret McClintock and Kaitlin Chamblin; a son, Keith; and six grandchildren. Keith Chamblin followed his father into horse racing, and is currently a senior vice president at the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

His family said that he never lost his passion for horse racing, and that throughout his life he “traveled the world promoting U.S. horse racing interests.” He was also the author and editor of four books on horse racing, and wrote the World Book Encyclopedia entry on the “History of Thoroughbred racing.”

In retirement, he advocated for racing organizations that supported a federal role in the regulation of racing, publicly endorsing bills that formed the foundation for legislation introduced this month by Sen. Mitch McConnell. The bill is expected to pass.