obituary

Longtime horseman Jimmy Iselin died at his home in New York City on June 8 after a brief illness, according to the Daily Racing Form on Thursday. He was 84. Iselin, who campaigned SW and sire Crafty Prospector, won 343 races from 2,286 starters from 1977-2017, according to Equibase. Iselin was the son of Philip Iselin, instrumental in the launching of Monmouth Park and was appointed treasurer of the track in 1946. Philip Iselin succeeded Armory Haskell in 1966 as Monmouth president and served in that role as well chairman...

Guineas victress Cachet (Aclaim) has died in Japan at the age of seven. The Japanese Stud Book lists the date of death as January 22 of this year. Bred by Hyde Park Stud, the dark bay was a 14,000gns Tattersalls Ascot yearling buy-back before selling to Highclere Agency for 60,000gns out of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale. Campaigned by Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, the filly won her debut and placed in the G1 Fillies' Mile and G2 Rockfel Stakes, before running fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at...

Group 1 winner and sire Spirit Of Boom has died at the age of 19 from complications from a ruptured bowel, the McAlpine family's Eureka Stud announced on X. A two-time Group 1 scorer in the Doomben 10,000 and the William Reid Stakes, the son of Sequalo left a greater legacy at stud. A four-time Champion Queensland Sire, the bay is currently leading the country's two-year-old sires' table this season. "Overnight, we sadly lost our much-loved two-time Group 1 winner and four-time Champion Queensland Sire, Spirit Of Boom, following complications...

Frank Calvarese, who held the position of head starter at the NYRA tracks from 1984 through 1993, passed away Thursday at his home in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was 96. He died of heart failure. "He was a great horseman and a great man," said his wife, Lisa. "He was ill for about a month, but during the last year he had been on the decline. But he looked so young. He looked great. He still had his black hair and he grew a goatee. He even looked great...

Owner-Breeder Brian Daniel Burns has passed at the age of 78 following a brief battle with cancer. Larger than life with an entrepreneurial spirit, Burns launched his own company in 1980, underwriting disability insurance for athletes. The high-profile company worked with major sports leagues like the NFL and the MLB and their players. He eventually sold the company in 2007. Burns's first foray into the horse racing game was an instant and spectacular success. He and his father Jimmy--"The name's Jimmy," he would say if addressed by the formal Mr....

Racehorse owner John Fleming has died in a tragic accident at Dublin Airport, the Irish Times reported. Fleming died at the scene after being struck by a bus while on foot at Dublin Airport shortly after midnight on Thursday. In his 60s, Fleming owned an Irish accountancy firm which specialised in services within the racing industry. He also published the Irish Racing Yearbook. "Our deepest sympathies are with the loved ones of the deceased," a DAA spokesman said. Horse Racing Ireland's CEO Suzanne Eade said, "Like everyone connected to Irish...

The Jockey Club of Canada's Chief Steward Doug Anderson has passed away, the organization announced in a release Friday. The statement read: "It is with great sadness that the Board of Stewards of The Jockey Club of Canada shares news of the passing of Chief Steward, Doug Anderson, on Apr. 16. Recently announced as the 2025 Special Sovereign Award recipient, Doug will be dearly missed by his family, and his friends and colleagues in racing and beyond. Doug dearly loved his horses, and the sport of horseracing, regularly journeying to...

Donna Herrick, a beloved and enduring presence in the Southern California racing community and a pillar of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, passed away peacefully Wednesday at the age of 97, surrounded by family. Alongside her late husband Bill, Donna was deeply devoted to Thoroughbred racing for more than four decades. Together, they were not only passionate owners but also among Del Mar's most loyal patrons, maintaining a fifth-floor suite for more than 30 years and becoming fixtures of the seaside track each summer. Their impact on the sport extended...

Godolphin homebred and Darley stallion Frosted (Tapit--Fast Cookie, by Deputy Minister) was euthanized Wednesday, Apr. 15 after an acute episode of laminitis, according to a release from the stallion station. The fastest-ever GI Metropolitan Handicap winner was 14. He will be buried at his long-time home, Jonabell Farm near Lexington. "Our team is deeply saddened by Frosted's passing, but it was our only option given the dire circumstances," said Godolphin's Dan Pride. "Frosted was an exceptional and exciting racehorse and accomplished sire. In addition, he was also a huge fan...

Champion two-year-old Gewan (Night Of Thunder), winner of last year's G1 Dewhurst Stakes and a leading contender for next month's 2,000 Guineas, has been fatally injured in a racecourse gallop at Kempton on Thursday morning. The colt, trained by Andrew Balding for Harrison Li's  Forz Europe Ltd, won three of his four starts last year, including the G3 Acomb Stakes at York. A post on social media from Balding's Park House Stables confirmed the news. It read, "It is with extreme sadness that we report that Gewan, champion two-year-old of...

Dan Flinter, the chairman of the Irish National Stud (INS), died at the age of 75 earlier this month. From Athy, Co. Kildare, Flinter attended Athy CBS and later University College Dublin. An economist, he was formerly chairman of The Irish Times. Besides horses, Flinter also was interested in art, theatre, and sport. The INS said in a statement, "The Board, management and staff of the Irish National Stud were deeply saddened to hear of the death of our esteemed chairman, Dan Flinter. Dan was appointed chairman of the Irish...

Former Southern California jockey and "King of the Bullring" Francisco "Paco" Mena died last week in Rosarito, Mexico where family members said he had been living. He was 78. Mena's brother, former jockey Guillermo Mena, said his older sibling retired to Mexico and had been staying with family before recently getting his own beachside residence in Rosarito. "He just recently decided he wanted to live on his own. He got a nice little place by the ocean in Rosarito," Mena said. Born in 1947 in Jalisco, Mexico, Mena started riding...