Edmond 'Eddie' Gaudet, patriarch of one of the best known and most respected racing families in the Midlantic region, passed away peacefully at home Jan. 4. He was 87 years old.
Growing up in Leominster, MA, Gaudet rode a horse for the first time at the age of 11 at the local country fair and was a fixture on the Maryland circuit for six decades after his arrival in the 1950s. Gaudet managed victories in some of the state's biggest and most important races, including the 1971 Black-Eyed Susan S. with GI Kentucky Oaks third At Arms Length () two years before it was accorded graded status. He sent out Star Touch (Fr) to win the 1991 GII General George S. in the first year it was graded and also won the GIII Anne Arundel H. and GIII Garden State S.
Gaudet's most recognizable horse was Concealed Identity (Smarty Jones), winner of the 2010 Maryland Juvenile Championship and 2011 Federico Tesio S. prior to a 10th behind Shackleford in the GI Preakness S., his lone starter in the second leg of the Triple Crown. Concealed Identity would later race for Gaudet's wife Linda, for whom he won the 2013 John B. Campbell H. and was second in the 2014 Maryland Million Classic.
Based at the old Bowie Race Track, Gaudet is credited with 1735 victories and nearly $23.5 million between 1959 and his retirement in 2011.
He is survived by his wife and daughters Lacey and Gabby, each of whom work within the racing industry. Lacey works with her mother as a multiple stakes-winning trainer at Laurel, while Gabby is a former racing analyst with the Maryland Jockey Club and currently covers Gulfstream Park for TVG.
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