death

Catesby W. Clay, who ran Runnymede Farm in Paris, Kentucky, for more than six decades in what is now a four-generation family operation that dates to 1867, died peacefully in his sleep Sept. 29 at age 101. The Blood-Horse first reported Catesby Clay's passing, citing confirmation from his son, Brutus Clay III, who is Runnymede's chief executive officer. Brutus Clay told the Blood-Horse that his father, the farm's chairman emeritus, died in the same home and in a room beneath the one in which he was born more than a...

John Hendrickson, a philanthropist who was the husband of the late Marylou Whitney, died suddenly at a Saratoga hospital Aug. 19, according to the Albany Times-Union Monday. The Albany Times-Union reported that Hendrickson became ill at around midday and later died at the hospital. The cause of death has not been disclosed. Maureen Lewi, longtime friend to Whitney and Hendrickson, was with him in the hospital and confirmed his death to the Times-Union. "I was at the hospital holding his hand," Lewi told the Times-Union. "I was talking to him,...

According to a report by Kevin Modesti in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, trainer David Hofmans died Wednesday at his home near Santa Anita. He was 81. Hofmans's wife, Linda Murray Hofmans, confirmed the news to Modesti. She added that the Arcadia Police Department are investigating and an autopsy was pending. "We're devastated," Hofmans's widow told Modesti, requesting privacy for the family. The cause of death was not immediately known. According to Equibase, Hofmans began his career in 1974 and won 1,085 races for career earnings of $53,335,405. His biggest...

Toby Sheets, a longtime assistant trainer to Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, was found dead Sunday on a beach on the Greek Island of Mathraki, Sheets's family has confirmed to the TDN. Sheets's death is the most recent in a series of foreign tourists to disappear or be found dead on the Greek islands in the past week, according to the Associated Press. According to Reuters, Sheets was 55 years old. The confirmation was provided by Greg Sheets, who said he was Sheets's cousin. "He did pass away in...

Louis Lee Haggin III, hailing from an illustrious racing family and a longtime fixture at Keeneland, died Mar. 5, according to Keeneland Tuesday. He was 88. A lifelong Thoroughbred owner and breeder, Haggin III managed his family's Sycamore Farm. A great, great grandson of legendary horseman James Ben Ali Haggin, who was also the founder of Elmendorf Farm, Haggin III's grandfather, Hal Price Headley, was among the founders of Keeneland. His father, Louis Lee Haggin II, served as the track's second president and subsequently its chairman. "Keeneland mourns the loss...

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and Point-to-Point Authority (PPA) have launched a full review of the death of Keagan Kirkby on Sunday. A member of the Paul Nicholls team in Ditcheat, the 25-year-old was riding at a meeting at Charing in Kent when his horse ran through the wing of a fence in the final race of the day. "The necessary steps in response to this tragic incident commenced immediately after the race on Sunday and have continued [Monday]," stated a joint-statement from the BHA and PPA. "The BHA are...

Jonathan Richard Cline, the son of former Lane's End farm manager Mike Cline, died unexpectedly in Lexington, Kentucky Wednesday, Sept. 20. He was 43. The son of Mike and Paula Cline, Jon Cline graduated from the University of Virginia in 2002 before finding his first job in the pallet industry in Cincinnati, where he met his eventual wife, Mandy. The couple would go on to have two sons, Charlie, now 12, and Mikey, 8. The visitation and Celebration of Life will be held Sept. 27 at Guardian Angels Church, 6539...

Lexington, Kentucky native Alex G. Campbell Jr., who campaigned the likes of GSWs winner Karlovy Vary, Mean Mary and Bye Bye Melvin, died in Delray, Florida, Tuesday. He was 95. In addition to Karlovy Vary, who annexed Keeneland's GI Ashland S. in 2012, Campbell previously campaigned Turk O Witz, winner of the 1995 Santa Maria H. in addition to 1996 Big 'Cap scorer Mr Purple. Also running in his colors, dual graded stakes winner Ultra Brat, and Grade III victor It's Tea Time. A member of The Jockey Club for...

by Bill Finley and Dan Ross Jerry Moss, who rose to fame in both the music business and in horse racing, died Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 88. Moss owned horses in partnership with then his wife, Ann, and while they campaigned many top horses, none could compare to the superstar in Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}). A winner of a remarkable 19 races from 20 career starts, she was named Horse of the Year in 2010 and champion older mare in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Her lone defeat came...

Dr. Heather Wharton, the veterinarian responsible for injecting WinStar stallion Laoban with a so-called "Black Shot" shortly before his death in 2021, has begun serving a 90-day suspension as part of a negotiated settlement with the Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners revealed Tim Sullivan with the LEO Weekly. Per the released report, Wharton is also obligated to pay a $30,000 administrative fine, complete at least four hours of continuing education, and has agreed to accept a written reprimand that will serve as a permanent disciplinary mark on her record. A...

Virginia Kraft Payson, a pioneer with a buoyant spirit who often referred to her life as "a magic carpet ride" woven from a whirlwind of adventure travel, a passion for outdoors journalism, and a mid-life immersion into the world of Thoroughbred racing and breeding, died Jan. 9 at age 92 at her Payson Stud farm in Lexington, Kentucky. The cause of death was complications from Parkinson's disease, as confirmed by Christian Erickson, a decades-long family friend and the trustee of the Payson estate. Payson's entry into Thoroughbred ownership was the...

James Delahooke, an outstanding horseman who played a key role in the creation of the late Prince Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte empire, died of a heart attack Wednesday morning while grouse hunting in Yorkshire with friends, according to his brother Matthew Delahooke. He was 77. A large proportion of the greatest horses bred and raced by Juddmonte from the late 1980s onwards have descended from fillies or mares bought by Delahooke on the Prince's behalf. The Juddmonte families which have yielded the likes of Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), Enable (GB) (Nathaniel...