Churchill Downs to get new track superintendent after Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Churchill Downs will be getting a new track superintendent after the Kentucky Derby.

David Lehr will retire on May 31, ending a career of over 43 years at Churchill. He'll be replaced by assistant Jamie Richardson, who will be the fifth person in the track's 104-year history to hold that post. Richardson has spent three years working under Lehr, who took over from his brother Butch in 2012.

David Lehr's departure means Churchill won't have a member of the Lehr family on its track maintenance team for the first time in 48 years.

Richardson will oversee the care, maintenance and preparation of Churchill's 1-mile dirt surface and the seven-furlong turf course. He has worked two Kentucky Derbies and previously was the track superintendent for the Maryland Jockey Club and at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas.

The track made the announcement Tuesday.