WINNER’S CIRCLE

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“Dave was a mentor, colleague, a friend, but most of all, a brother,” Grening said during the remembrance. “He was sort of the answer key, just like you would get in crossword puzzles. If you couldn’t get the word, you would go to the back of the page and see the word. That’s what a public handicapper in New York did. The phrase uttered around the press box was ‘Who did Dave pick?’ Dave, you had a fabulous career, and I will always remember it.”

Dave Litfin worked for the Daily Racing Form until 2016 when he was released. While it was a difficult moment for Dave, Robin and his family, he quickly found other positions as a chart caller for Equibase, a contributor for Bloodhorse with his weekly “Litfin at Large” handicapping column, and a freelancer for Thoro-graph and the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

With the help of Equibase Marketing and Communications Manager Rhonda Norby and long-time racing colleague and friends Virginia Kellner and Joan Lawrence, Dave started chart calling races at Gulfstream Park before traveling to Presque Isle Downs and Delaware Park.

“That could have crushed him, but it didn’t,” Robin said about her husband being released by the Daily Racing Form. “He pulled up his big-boy pants, and six weeks later, he went on the road for Equibase. After starting together and traveling 40 years ago, we were doing it again. It was fun and it was great.”

After being in remission for eight years, Dave tried to fight his illness again in January 2022. He continued to write columns and provide racing analysis as much as he could.

Dave also remained resilient and positive going into his son’s wedding in October. Along with walking his son down the aisle, he booked a cruise to Bermuda to celebrate his 40th wedding anniversary with Robin, which would have been Nov. 28 – just days before his passing.

“He wanted to take the train to New York, then get on the cruise,” Robin said. “He was not ready to go. He was willing to take me on one last cruise.”

Today, while Dave’s spot in the press box at Saratoga Race Course, Belmont, Aqueduct, and other racetracks remain vacant, his family, friends and colleagues have not forgotten about him.

Meanwhile, Robin moved to Ballston Spa and currently works at Frivolous and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. She wears Dave’s wedding band on her finger and his bracelet around her wrist that is a reminder of their marriage.