Former Breeders’ Cup Exec Blatz-Murff Dies

[Wandering Eyes]

Pam Blatz-Murff, who served as the Breeders’ Cup Limited’s Senior Vice President of Operations for over 25 years, died July 5 in Dallas, Texas, following a brief battle with cancer. She was 70. Blatz-Murff, who grew up in La Jolla, California, was exposed to horses as a young girl, riding both quarter and western horses while her family raced Thoroughbreds along the California circuit. Following a trip to Lexington, Kentucky, in the early 80s, Blatz-Murff made the move to the blue grass region permanent and took a job with the newly-created Breeders’ Cup.

“Pam played a critical role from the beginning of the Breeders’ Cup in helping create the nominations and racing programs that are today pillars of one of the world’s great racing festivals,” according to a statement from the Breeders’ Cup. “Her commitment to the international character of the event was recognized in the conferring of the Derby Award in 2001 which focused on her “care and passion about the horses themselves: about their owners and breeders; about their trainers and lads.” The statement continued, “Most notably, Pam enjoyed the comradery and respect of horsemen both domestically and internationally. We will miss her passion for Thoroughbred racing and her pride in the Breeders’ Cup and extend our deepest sympathies to Pam’s daughter Tiffany and the family.”

Among the many initiatives Blatz-Murff played a major role in the expansion of the Breeders’ Cup championship in 2007 from a single-day event featuring seven races to a two-day format comprising 14 races and over $25 million in purses. She was also instrumental in the formation of the Veterinary Inspection Team; the implementation of the Breeders’ Cup Security Protocols and the organization’s relationship with the U.S. Departure of Agriculture. Blatz-Murff also worked tirelessly in conjunction with several equine organizations, including the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, where she served as a board member. She was also a member of the Kentucky Horse Park Commission, the Keeneland Association, the Thoroughbred Club of America, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association.

“She loved horses in every stage,” said Blatz-Murff’s daughter, Tiffany Wesley. “She poured over breeding pedigrees for weeks to make sure it was the right match for our own mares. She visited the fields with her orange bucket to spoil the mares and foals with sweet feed and carrots. She counted noses as they crossed the finish lines on Breeders’ Cup day and wrote congratulations to friends, colleagues and owners across the world.”

Wesley added, “My mom had two loves: her family and horse racing. She loved being a grammie to my two kiddos more than anything she supported the sport into her final days..”

The family requested that contributions in Blatz-Murff’s name be made to the T. Boone Pickens Center at Fair Presbyterian Hospice, Dallas, Texas.

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