By Tzvi Machlin The sports media world lost one of its most decorated writers of the past 60 years as Billy Reed passed away this weekend. He was 78 years old and had been battling liver disease. Reed specialized in Kentucky sports but covered just about everything from horse racing to NCAA championships to boxing. He was considered one of the foremost authorities on horse racing, winning the Eclipse Award several times. Reed began his writing career at the prestigious Lexington Herald-Ledger in 1959. His journey would take him to the Courier-Journal, Sports Illustrated and Northern Kentucky T…