NEWS
Legendary Turf writer Hirsch to retire
Posted: Saturday, November 01, 2003
Joe Hirsch, the dean of America's Turf writers, will have written the final column of his legendary 55-year career when the ink dries on his final words for Daily Racing Form on November 29. The 74-year-old journalist has decided to retire. More than a writer, Hirsch has chronicled over 50 years of Thoroughbred racing as a keeper of the flame. His words have described glory and defeat, the personalities and the people, the horses and the jockeys—all with an eloquence and fundamental understanding that has kept in step with the evolution of the sport.
The people and personalities of racing were a highlight of his career, said Hirsch, who was stricken with Parkinson's disease more than two decades ago.
"I'm the luckiest man in the world," he said. "It's the people that make racing. I love racing and the people who are in the sport. To have been a part of that for so long is very special."
When asked whether he would write a collection of memoirs, Hirsch was not willing to rule it out.
"You never know," he said. "It would be an interesting collection. For now though, I'm just going to rest."
Hirsch graduated from New York University in 1948, and began his career at the New York Times and the Morning Telegraph, a sister publication to the Form. After four years in the Army, Hirsch joined the journalistic ranks once again, and began writing for Daily Racing Form in 1954 where he became an executive columnist in 1974.
A founder and first president of the National Turf Writers Association, Hirsch was frequently on the leading edge of news reporting on the industry and in 1982 was first to detail owner-breeder John Gaines's vision on a championship day of racing now known as the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships. As the co-author of five books and a member of the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame selection committee, Hirsch's observation's of the American Turf have motivated young journalists and captivated seasoned professionals.
His many accolades include the Eclipse Award, the Lord Derby Award for exemplary writing from the Horse Race Writers of Britain, and the Big Sport of Turfdom. He has also been the recipient of the Eclipse Award of Merit, the Jockey Club Medal, the Walter Haight Award, and the Joe Palmer Award from the National Turf Writers. He also received the William May Award from the Association of Racing Commissioners International.
"It's a strange feeling," Hirsch said of his impending retirement. "There's a time for arriving and a time for leaving, and I have to do it."—Mary R. Marshall
