obit

Eddie Truman, a trainer as renowned for his patience with the Thoroughbred as for a perennially genial disposition, has passed at the age of 77. "A great horseman and an even greater individual," said veteran trainer Gary Stute. "I never heard him say a bad word about anybody--anybody--and on the racetrack, that's few and far," Stute added. "Once you met him, you stayed friends with him. The ultimate honest good person." Over a career spanning nearly 50 years, Truman trained 763 winners and collected $15.7 million in earnings. He had...

Kenneth F. Lowe, Jr., the colorful and sometimes controversial chairman of the West Virginia Racing Commission (WVRC), died suddenly earlier this week. His passing was first reported Sept. 4 in a remembrance editorial in the Journal-News of Martinsburg, West Virginia. Lowe was in his mid-70s, and no cause of death had been announced prior to publication of this story. On Thursday, a staffer at the WVRC confirmed Lowe's passing to TDN, but declined to speak on the record about the circumstances of the chairman's death or about his recent health,...

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...

Even the Score (Unbridled's Song--Ashtabula, by Rahy), a resident of Old Friends for the past year, has died at the age of 26 after colicking. He was euthanized at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital on Saturday, Apr. 13. A MSGW & GISP during his four-year racing career, Even the Score stood at Rosendo "Ro" Parra's Millennium Farms before he was pensioned in 2020. Among the 17 career black-type winners he sired from his 15 crops are multiple Grade I winners Dullahan and Take the Points. "Even the Score was a...

Ahmed Foustok, the brother of the late Classic-winning owner Mahmoud Foustok, passed away at the age of 87, the Racing Post reported on Friday. The proprietor of Cedar Tree Stud in the UK, the Lebanese native celebrated group success with Brondesbury (Ire) (Welsh Saint {Ire}) and On Stage (GB) (Comedy Star), but his most well-known horse was Provideo (GB) (Godswalk) who won 16 races as a juvenile in 1984, equaling the UK record.  Foustok also bred and raced In Excess (Ire) prior to selling that horse who would go on...

by Josh Pons Andrew MacNamara Pons, who managed his family's Country Life Farm in Maryland during the 1970s, died on Tuesday evening, Jan. 2, following complications from cardiac arrest five days earlier. He was 70 years old. Born in Baltimore on May 31, 1953, he was the oldest son of Joseph and Mary Jo Pons. He grew up working with horses at Country Life, the oldest Thoroughbred farm in the state, established in 1933 by Pons' grandfather, Adolphe. Fresh out of high school, Pons began work as an assistant for...

GSW Uncle Chuck (Uncle Mo--Forest Music, by Unbridled's Song), whose first foals are yearlings of 2024, was humanely euthanized Dec. 22 according to Brent Fernung, owner of Journeyman Stud in Florida. The 6-year-old stallion was standing at Journeyman at the time of his death. Uncle Chuck was determined to be suffering from untreatable lymphoma. "We're devastated by this loss," said Fernung. "He was a beautiful horse, and his first crop of foals are carbon copies of him. Beyond that, Uncle Chuck had a great demeanor and was a pleasure to...

J.T. Lundy, the controversial former president of Calumet Farm, passed away Tuesday. He was 82. The news was reported on Facebook by his sister, Kathy Lundy Jones, and his son, Robert. According to Robert's post, Lundy fell in November, suffered from a head injury and never fully recovered. According to the BloodHorse, Lundy was a native of Georgetown, Ky. and grew up on a farm working primarily around show cattle. He told the magazine in 1990 that he eventually steered into the horse business because it appeared to be more lucrative...

Stallion manager Joe Peel, who handled some of Claiborne Farm's top sires, lost a 10-year battle with cancer and has passed away, the Paris, Ky. farm announced via X Wednesday. The farm will rename the breeding shed to honor him. In his early 60s, Peel joined Claiborne in 1985 and spent 15 years in the farm's yearling division. He moved to stallions in 2000 and has been responsible for Arch, Blame, Danzig, Flatter, Pulpit, Seeking the Gold, Unbridled, and War Front, among others. "Joe will be remembered for his unwavering...

GI Haskell S. winner and GI Breeders' Cup Classic contender Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}--Beyond Grace, by Uncle Mo), who was pulled up with an open condylar fracture earlier this week in routine morning work at Santa Anita, has been euthanized, his connections announced Wednesday afternoon. He had undergone successful surgery Sunday evening, but did not recover as well as hoped, owner Pin Oak Stud had originally said in a Monday update. Pin Oak gave a final update on X, formerly known as Twitter, late Wednesday, saying, "Our hearts...

Photographer Katey Barrett, long associated with artful images of Santa Anita, passed away Sunday, Oct. 22 after a bout with cancer. She was 91. Barrett's images, often easy to identify due to her unique style, were part of Santa Anita's opening day Winter Meet souvenir calendar for over 30 years. A Minnesota native, Barrett came to California in the 1950s and worked on several TV shows, as well as on a movie with Don Knotts. "Katey had been on hospice and was diagnosed with cancer a couple of months ago,"...

Frank L. Jones, Jr., a prominent owner, breeder, and servant to the horse industry through decades of work on the boards of several Thoroughbred organizations, passed away Thursday, Aug. 10 after a long illness. The Louisville businessman was 87. In addition to other roles, Jones spent more than 30 years as the owners' vice president of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA), where he was instrumental in negotiating contracts for owners and trainers with racetracks. He was also chair of the Kentucky HBPA's finance committee and a legislative...