
And now the press box high atop the grandstand at Pimlico bears his name.
Recently the press box at Old Hilltop was renamed to include Joe Kelly, who passed away in November at the age of 94.
The Red Smith-Joe Kelly Press Box.
Two of the most respected men to have ever covered Thoroughbred racing in the United States with their names side-by-side in the facility where they both chronicled so many memorable moments.
This blogger is hard pressed to remember a time before Mr. Kelly’s passing this past year when I was in the fabled press box and the man who covered horse racing for nearly 70 years wasn’t there.
“Nobody spent more time in the Pimlico press box,” said Mike Gathagan, Pimlico’s vice president of communications. “We felt it was important to honor Mr. Kelly, so the next generations of turf writers know what he meant to this place. He was a tremendous resource and positive influence. We just finished our third week of the spring meet and it is weird not to see him in his office or in the chair where he sat while wagering each afternoon.”
Well said Mike!