Dedication and service, plus a healthy sense of affability, are descriptors that only begin to encapsulate the type of person Lance Morell is both in his professional and personal life. Those attributes were honored on Monday evening by the Organization of Racing Investigators, which met at The Lodge On The Desert in Tucson, Arizona this past week for what was their 27th annual conference.
Morell is this year’s recipient of the John F. Wayne Lifetime Member Award. Established in 2003, it recognizes members who have dedicated their careers to the integrity of horse racing and who are actively engaged in the organization. It was a special night for Morell when his wife and two daughters surprised him with their unannounced attendance. Joining the latest Wayne honoree were past winners, including last year’s recipient Don Ahrens and also Jim Blodgett, Tom Sage, Dave Rogers and Mike Kilpack.
A native of New Jersey, Morell was a detective at Atlantic City Race Course (1989) and Philadelphia Park Race Track (1991) before joining the ranks of the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau as an agent in 1993. He was promoted to Corporate Director of Security of Philadelphia Park Racetrack in 2001 before accepting a position with Parx as Director of Risk Management for Parx Casino & Racetrack in 2012. In that time, Morell garnered numerous professional accolades, including the opportunity to serve as a regular member of the Equine Security Team for the Breeders’ Cup.
“I cut my teeth for John Wayne when I first got into racing at Atlantic City Racecourse and even when I no longer worked for him, he was a constant resource that was only a phone call away” said Morell upon accepting the award. “John’s memory of undesirables in racing was legendary and his presence is greatly missed, and it is our duty to continue his legacy to keep racing as clean as we can.”
ORI Board Members Re-Elected
At the conclusion of ORI Tucson 2023, a general business meeting took place with several agenda items on the docket. First, outgoing Chairman, Juan Carlos Estrada was thanked by the incoming Jason Klouser for his planning of this year’s conference, which marked the highest attendance in the history of the event. Appreciation for Immediate-Past Chairman J.C. Jaramillo’s service was also mentioned.
Besides receiving an update on finances from Treasurer Don Ahrens, the other main agenda item was the election of board members. After a vote, Don Ahrens was re-elected Treasurer, Mike Kilpack was re-elected as the Western Representative, Tyler Durand was re-elected as the Canadian Representative and finally, Lance Morell was re-elected as the Eastern Representative.
With Juan Carlos Estrada moving into the Immediate-Past Chairman position and Jason Klouser assuming the Chairman spot, the membership elected Dr. Stuart Brown to serve as the new Vice-Chairman. An internationally respected equine veterinarian, Dr. Brown serves as Keeneland’s Vice President of Equine Safety and leads Keeneland’s effort to develop, communicate and enforce safety and integrity policies across their diverse operations. He completed his undergraduate work at Transylvania University and earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Tuskegee University. After spending nearly 30 years with Lexington’s Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, specializing in equine reproduction and ambulatory medicine, he joined Keeneland’s staff in 2020.
Since COVID cancelled the 2020 ORI Training Conference, events were held at Aqueduct Racetrack in 2022 and in Tucson this year. Plans are being laid out for the conference to be hosted at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pennsylvania for 2024 and at Keeneland outside of Lexington, Kentucky for 2025.