Benoit dies at 81

Bob Benoit was a legend on the Southern California racing scene (Benoit Photo)

Robert P. “Bob” Benoit, 81, died Friday afternoon at Centinela Valley
Hospital in Inglewood, California, after a lengthy illness. Cause of
death was pneumonia.

Benoit, a longtime Thoroughbred racing executive in Southern
California, founded and was president of Benoit and Associates, track
photographers on the circuit of Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, Del Mar and
Fairplex Park.

Born in Gary, Indiana, on February 8, 1927, he attended grade school
in his home state before his family moved to Los Angeles. He was a 1945
graduate of Los Angeles High School and served in the U.S. Army through
1947. Upon his discharge, he attended the University of California-Los
Angeles, where he was night sports editor of the school newspaper,
The Daily Bruin, writing a turf column and handicapping Southland
races. He left U.C.L.A. to become sports editor of the Inglewood
Daily News, home newspaper of Hollywood Park, in 1951.

He took a seasonal job on Hollywood Park Publicity Director Al
Wesson’s staff in 1953 and became a year-round staff member in 1955 when
he was named Assistant Publicity Director. He became Director of
Publicity in 1969 and eventually was elected to the Board of Directors
and named Chief Operating Officer and General Manager in 1977.