by Frank Angst

Bill Couch will not return as racing secretary at Gulfstream Park for the 2009 meeting after serving in that position last year.

Couch, an Ohio native, cited the pressures of the position and the need to be away from home during the meet.

“I very much enjoyed the last two winters at Gulfstream Park,” Couch said from Thistledown, where he currently serves as racing secretary. “It was a thrill to meet the people I did and to enjoy the experiences I had, but I’m a family man.”

Couch came to Gulfstream in 2007, serving as Gulfstream’s Palm Meadows liaison. Later that year, he was elevated to racing secretary, overseeing the '08 meet, which will be best remembered for providing a stage for eventual dual classic winner Big Brown.

Gulfstream Park President Bill Murphy said the track hopes to find a position that suits Couch in 2009. Murphy expects to name replacement for Couch by mid-August.

Frank Angst is Thoroughbred Times senior writer