Gene Stevens, the controversial publisher of arguably the most successful racing and breeding publication in the United States for more than 37 years, passed away early Friday morning at his home at The Cricket Club in Miami. He died peacefully in his sleep after his long battle with diabetes, according to long-time friend Carolyn Hine.

    Born in Brooklyn in 1935, Gene was a high school classmate of singer Steve Lawrence, and the two collaborated musically at Thomas Jefferson High, both dreaming of making the big time. Lawrence accomplished his goal via TV and hit recordings, and Gene accomplished it through his widely-read slick magazine, Post Time USA. 

    Gene was the owner of a photography studio in South Florida when he first made his name known to horsemen at Calder Race Course in 1970. He wrote a weekly column in the Miramar Mirror, close to the racetrack, and he was a constant thorn in the side of management, every week calling for the replacement of Calder's synthetic surface, called Saf-T-Turf. The pinkish track was causing soreness to muscles, tendons, backs, ankles, etc., and Gene was the willing spokesperson for the horsemen who wanted it removed.

    One Saturday, Gene sent two bikini-clad models out onto the track between races. They were holding a banner that read, "Gene Stevens says: Saf-T-Turf must go, dirt track a must." It caused quite a stir and was the forerunner of his always-controversial publishing career.

    In August of 1973, Gene and I and horseman Bob Gaudio started Post Time, a monthly newspaper dedicated to racing and breeding, with a little dab of entertainment thrown in to make Gene happy. But Gene and I fought constantly over the contents of Post Time, and after six issues, we split, after the Feb. 1974 edition hit the stands.

    Gene re-grouped after that and in October of the same year, Post Time returned with a new editor. Gene's shtick was pictures - he felt that owners and breeders and trainers were deserving of much more recognition than they were getting and he gave it to them, plastering their photos over every section of the paper. He became the subject of a great deal of criticism, including from many in the media colony, but everybody read Post Time and Gene thrived on the attention.

    He made it to all the Triple Crown races, the Breeders' Cup, the Florida Derby and Flamingo, the Eclipse Awards, and the entire Saratoga meeting, amassing a huge file of photos that not only included the horsey set but also actors, actresses, singers, presidents, senators, governors and anybody else he felt would enhance the pages of Post Time.

     And it worked. Sometime in the 80s, Gene enlisted Bob Marks, former owner of Robin's Nest Farm in Ocala and an advertising expert, to revamp the paper and Bob did it in spades. Post Time USA was born, a full-fledged slick magazine that further enhanced the quality of the photos of the rich and famous, both people and equines. Gene's picture was on so many pages in Post Time USA that the late Pete Axthelm of Newsweek started an over-and-under pool based on the number of times Gene's image would show up in each issue. There were times when it was more than 100; many loved it and many hated it, but Post Time USA flourished and made Gene a rich man. 

    Always the innovator, Gene enlisted some of the leading thoroughbred writers in the country to grace the pages of Post Time USA. There were Bill Christine of the Los Angeles Times, Ray Kerrison of the New York Post, Billy Reed of the Louisville Courier, Daily Racing Form breeding guru David Goldman, John DaSilva of the New York Post and Bill Mooney of the Blood-Horse. There was even a long-time column written by famed consumer advocate Ralph Nader. Mooney's Post Time USA column about the last few days in the life of Fred Hooper's Florida-bred Eclipse Award winner, Precisionist, won an Eclipse Award of its own.

    Although much of what Gene wrote focused on the issues facing racing, and show biz, two of his columns drew critical acclaim. One was for a series titled: 'The Rise and Fall of Calumet Farm,' for which he received an Honorable Mention Eclipse Award, the other was a beautifully-done piece on the life of the late Louis Wolfson.

    In September of 1989, Gene and I reunited and for the next 21 years, I was again the editor of Post Time USA. That same month, Gene took me and Bob Marks to California to look into the feasibility of a west coast edition of the magazine.  While we were there, we visited with noted owner Fred Sahadi and Gerry McMahon, who were in the start-up stages of a new sales company - Barretts. I asked Fred what kind of reception they were getting from the breeders, tracks, newspapers and other racing organizations and his answer was simple: "They're ignoring us." When we returned to Florida and began work on the next issue, Gene and I co-wrote a lengthy piece on Barretts, announcing it to the world. 

    All the while, Gene built up a unique persona. Most of the racing world no doubt never saw him when he wasn't impeccably dressed in an expensive suit, often of silk, and driving his Lincoln Town Car with the iron thoroughbred mounted on the hood. 

    He loved racing, but he was really in his element when he was around the show biz crowd. Post Time USA was graced over the years with pix of Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joan Rivers, Jackie Mason, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Jackie Gleason, Susan Lucci, Mary Ann Mobley, Phyllis George, Bo Derek, and many more. While in Saratoga, he never failed to sidle up to the piano bar and belt out a few songs at the Wishing Well or Siro's. He was a fixture at the Kentucky Derby soirees of socialites Marylou Whitney and Anita Madden, and the photo of him draped only in a towel after he fell into the pool fully clothed during one of Marylou's shindigs, has become legend. 

    Post Time USA ended its run in 2010 after 37 stellar years, and it was easy to see that Gene's demeanor changed drastically thereafter. He had neglected his health for years due to the demands of his profession and the last couple of years were not kind to him.

    Gene Stevens won't soon be forgotten by the racing community. He created something unique because he was unique himself. Gene was the Barnum & Bailey of racing, and the sport will never see another like him. 

    

        

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