Ray Kerrison

Ray Kerrison wrote for the horse player, vowing to protect the $2.00 bettor.

For decades thoroughbred writers were simply publicists for the tracks they covered, not

investigative journalists. No one kept an eye on its players. Racing officials, trainers, jockeys and

more were never questioned if something was “off.” Everyone inside was protected.

Ray Kerrison single-handedly changed that, and this caused an immediate uproar.

His fellow turf writers detested him. Racing officials were wary, and jockeys and trainers

wanted no part of him. As daunting as each day would be, it never deterred him.

“Ray came from Australia as a news and political writer and was, to my memory, the first

turf writer to hold racing executives to account. He held [it] to a higher standard, which

often drew the ire of his press-box colleagues. He certainly changed the way I looked at the

machinations of racing executives and the state racing board that governed it. His hard-

hitting coverage didn’t make many friends among contemporary press box competitors. I

learned a lot about what it meant to be a journalist from Ray; to be honest in thought,

unafraid to do your job wherever the chips would fall.

John Pricci

Executive Editor, Horse Racing Insider

Newsday’s first Thoroughbred racing handicapper

You know I’ve been thinking about this … was he the best racing writer, ever?

What set Ray apart, was [he was] a true, tireless reporter. He just had ice water in his veins.

He protected the $2 bettors, and he would go after people that were up to no good [at] this

sport and he was not afraid of anything. People got mad at him, and he would take on

anybody. I mean he was absolutely The Giant in the field of racing writers.

Bill Finley

Co-Host Down the Stretch Podcast

Long time journalist covering Thoroughbred Racing

“The word that comes to my mind when I think about Ray is fearless. Because he took on

anybody who would be a problem for the [horseplayer]. He went up against the stewards

at every major track, at every major race. He sided with the bettors. He was absolutely

terrific. He got involved in stories that other people do not get involved in today because

they are afraid of losing advertising or being unpopular. He was the quintessential New

York columnist.

Dave Johnson

Co-Host Down the Stretch Podcast

Race Announcer and Sportscaster“Ray Kerrison was just a wonderful human being. He was a terrific journalist, columnist,

[and] a tenacious reporter who went after stories full tilt. But he was so gracious in the

way he did his business. I used to refer to him as the Fred Astaire of Thoroughbred Racing

because he was the best. He was the classiest guy who ever worked that beat. No one

was better as a journalist.”

Greg Gallo

Former Sports Editor who began working with Kerrison in 1973

Kerrison had come onto the daily racing beat in 1977 and got the scoop of the decade.

He heard quietly that the nation’s most famous veterinarian, Dr. Mark Gerard, had

perpetrated a major fraud. He imported a pair of horses from Uruguay, switching their identities

and pulled off a betting coup at the nation’s biggest racetrack – Belmont Park.

He got the story first, and day after day following lead after lead, putting him a furlong

ahead of the competition. The Post sent him to Uruguay and three NYC Detectives joined him.

While there, he also learned the Vet’s wife was a major player.

A dozen plus columns later, the vet and his wife’s criminal activities were exposed to the

world. The result was that Gerard – who was Secretariat ‘s vet – was prosecuted, jailed, and barred

from the track for life. This was known as “The Belmont Sting.”

Kerrison’s efforts earned him The Page One Award1, the Silurian Award2 and a nomination

for a Pulitzer Prize.

Not long after, he played a key role in exposing the biggest race fixing scandal New York had

ever seen. Some of the nation’s top riders were at the center of allegations in fixing 14 races at

NYRA tracks. When all was said and done, the outcomes were staggering. People went to jail.

Jockeys were banned for life or received severe suspensions. Some continued to ride under a veil

of suspicion. There had never been a racing story of this magnitude ever investigated before.

There have been none since.

From 1977-1984 he would take a yearly trip to France to cover the Arc de Triomphe. While

there he launched a campaign against the Aga Khan, the wealthy French based owner. It was

believed he swindled a couple of Americans in a horse deal with an understanding the French

Jockey Club were complicit in the fraud.

These are just samples of his investigative reporting.

Kerrison began his work as a journalist in 1951 at a small weekly called The Murray

Pioneer. In 1956, by way of London, he touched American soil for the first time. In 1957 he went

to the Kentucky Derby for the first time. He saw three future Hall of Fame horses run 2nd, 3rd and

4th and The Shoe standing up at the 16th pole. He spent most of his early career covering news

across America as a correspondent for Australian newspapers. He was a full-time racing

journalist from 1977-1984 and moved to the front of the paper in 1985. From 1977 until hisretirement in 2012 he covered 32 Derby’s well as most other Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup

Championship events.

Ray Kerrison was a man of unshakable principle who was relentless in keeping the sport

clean. It did not matter who you were. The state of New York. The state of New Jersey. The

State Racing and Wagering Board. Trainers. Jockeys. Racing officials. Stewards. If they were

involved in something that defrauded, short changed or deceived the $2 bettor, and he found out

about it, his investigations began. His work, albeit at times controversial, was always honest and

his readers knew that about him. They trusted him.

All this, and so much more, he did with great humility and equanimity.