Horse Trainers in History

Events in Sport

  • 1887-12-28 John Layton Jarvis becomes first British race horse trainer to be knighted for services to racing
  • 1934-07-07 Mary Hirsch, daughter of 3-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Max Hirsch, becomes first woman to be licensed to train thoroughbred horses in the United States
  • 1988-08-05 Thoroughbred trainer Dale Baird wins his 5,000th career race with Stuffed Johnnie at Mountaineer Park; second to reach milestone behind Jack Van Berg
  • 2012-07-05 Harness racing trainer/driver Dave Palone sets a new North American record for wins when he drives Herculotte Hanover to the winner's circle for his 15,181st career victory
  • 2014-11-14 American harness racing trainer/driver Dave Palone sets the world record for wins when he drive Missy Tap Tina to the winner's circle for his 16,754th career victory

Birthdays in Sport

  • 1876-06-22 H. Guy Bedwell, American thoroughbred trainer (North American champion in wins x 7; earnings 1918-19; first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton), born in Roseburg, Oregon (d. 1951)
  • 1882-12-31 Ben A. Jones, American horse trainer (US Champion trainer by earnings 1941, 43, 44, 52; Kentucky Derby x 6 including Citation, Whirlaway), born in Parnell, Missouri (d. 1961)
  • 1887-12-27 Sir John Layton Jarvis, English thoroughbred race horse trainer (9 x British Classic Races; 3 x British flat racing Champion Trainer), born in Newmarket, England (d. 1968)
  • 1901-02-27 Horatio Luro, American horse trainer (43 x stakes winners; Decidedly, Northern Dancer), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1991)
  • 1910-12-27 Neville Crump, British racehorse trainer (Grand National 1948, 52, 60), born in Beckenham, Kent, England (d. 1997) [1]
  • 1914-08-10 Carlos Menditeguy, Argentine auto racer (11 x F1 GP) and horse trainer, polo player, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1973)
  • 1917-04-09 Vincent O'Brien, Irish racehorse trainer (6 x Epsom Derby; 2 x British champion trainer; only British Triple Crown winner, Nijinsky 1970), born in Churchtown, Ireland (d. 2009)
  • 1920-01-07 Aubrey Brabazon, Irish jockey and horse trainer, born in The Curragh, Ireland (d. 1996)
  • 1924-07-31 Alec Head, French horse trainer and breeder (6 x champion trainer France; 4 x Arc de Triomphe; owner Haras du Quesnay), born in Maisons-Laffitte, France (d. 2022)
  • 1925-06-23 Nuno Oliveira, Portuguese equestrian, horse trainer, dressage instructor, author ('baroque' or 'classical' style), born in Lisbon, Portugal (d. 1989)
  • 1925-08-29 Loyd Gentry, American thoroughbred trainer (Kentucky Derby 1967 Proud Clarion), born in Covington, Kentucky (d. 2012)
  • 1927-02-16 Roy Purdon, New Zealand harness-racing trainer (21 x NZ trainers premierships; 4 x NZ cup winners; 54 x Group One wins), born in Auckland, New Zealand (d. 2022)
  • 1927-08-08 Melvin F. Stute, American thoroughbred racehorse trainer (Preakness Stakes 1986, Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies 1986, Breeders' Cup Sprint 1987), born in Fort Wayne, Indiana (d. 2020)
  • 1928-05-23 Buster Welch, American cutting horse trainer (4 x NCHA World Championship; 5 x NCHA World Championship Futurity), born in Sterling City Texas (d. 2022)
  • 1930-06-30 Mac Benson, Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame trainer, born in Wilmington, Delaware
  • 1931-03-11 Colin Jillings, New Zealand thoroughbred horse trainer (W. S. Cox Plate 1993 The Phantom Chance; 4 x Auckland Cup winners; 5 x NZ Derby winners), born in Auckland, New Zealand (d. 2022)
  • 1932-08-07 Bubba Cascio, American race horse trainer (All American Futurity 1968, 70), born in Houston, Texas (d. 2022)
  • 1933-07-01 Peter Walwyn, British thoroughbred trainer (champion trainer 1974-75), born in Lambourn, England (d. 2017)
  • 1934-02-14 Bruce Headley, American thoroughbred horse trainer and owner (Breeders' Cup Sprint 2000 Kona Gold), born in Baldwin Park, California (d. 2021)
  • 1937-11-24 Brian Kan, Chinese thoroughbred horse trainer (5 x Hong Kong champion trainer; 5 x HK Derby winners), born in Sheung Shui, Hong Kong (d. 2022)
  • 1940-02-29 Billy Turner Jr., American thoroughbred trainer (Triple Crown 1977 Seattle Slew), born in Rochester, New York (d. 2021)
  • 1940-08-21 Robert Camac, American horse trainer, born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 2001)
  • 1940-08-22 David R. Vance, American horse trainer, born in Logansport, Indiana
  • 1942-07-09 Robert J. Frankel, American thoroughbred race horse trainer (5 x Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer; US Champion Trainer by earnings 1993, 2002, 03), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2009)
  • 1943-11-21 Robert Alner, British racehorse trainer (Cheltenham Gold Cup: Cool Dawn 1998), born in Droop, England (d. 2020)
  • 1945-05-29 Martin Pipe, English racehorse trainer (15-time Champion Hunt Trainer), born in Taunton, Somerset
  • 1945-06-27 John M. Veitch, American thoroughbred horse trainer (Breeders' Cup Classic 1985 [Proud Truth]; Alydar; National Museum of Racing HOF), born in Lexington, Kentucky (d. 2023)
  • 1946-06-11 Jenny Pitman, British racehorse trainer (Grand National [Corbiere 1983 first female trainer; Royal Athlete 1995]; Cheltenham Gold Cup 1984, 91), born in Hoby, England
  • 1948-06-04 Bob Champion, English jockey (Grand National 1981 [Aldaniti]) and thoroughbred trainer, born in Sussex, England
  • 1948-06-27 Angel Penna Jr., horse trainer, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 1951-01-23 Michael R. Matz, American horse trainer & equestrian (Olympic silver 1996), born in Collegeville, Pennsylvania
  • 1952-04-13 Jonjo O'Neill, Irish racehorse trainer, born in Cork, Ireland
  • 1954-06-25 John C. Kimmel, American horse trainer, born in East Orange, New Jersey
  • 1955-05-24 Thad Ackel, American racehorse trainer
  • 1956-06-27 Jeff Odintz, American horse trainer, born in Brooklyn, New York
  • 1960-09-25 John Hills, British racehorse trainer (d. 2014)
  • 1962-02-26 Dave Palone, American harness racing trainer & driver (US Pacing Triple Crown 1996, 2005), born in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania

Weddings in Sport

James Woods

1989-06-02 Actor James Woods (42) weds horse trainer Sarah Owen (26) in Beverly Hills, California

Tony Curtis

1998-11-06 American "Some Like It Hot" actor Tony Curtis (73) weds for a sixth and final time, horse trainer Jill Vandenberg at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, until his death in 2010


Deaths in Sport

  • 1951-12-31 H. Guy Bedwell, American thoroughbred trainer (North American champion in wins x 7; earnings 1918-19; first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton), dies at 76
  • 1961-06-13 Ben A. Jones, American horse trainer (US Champion trainer by earnings 1941, 43, 44, 52; Kentucky Derby x 6 including Citation, Whirlaway), dies at 78
  • 1968-12-18 Sir John Layton Jarvis, English thoroughbred race horse trainer (9 x British Classic Races; 3 x British flat racing Champion Trainer), dies at 80
  • 1970-02-23 Hirsch Jacobs, American thoroughbred horse trainer and owner (b. 1904)
  • 1973-04-27 Carlos Menditeguy, Argentine auto racer (11 x F1 GP) and horse trainer, polo player, dies from diabetes and Parkinson's disease at 57
  • 1989-02-06 Nuno Oliveira, Portuguese equestrian, horse trainer, dressage instructor, author ('baroque' or 'classical' style), dies at 63
  • 1991-12-15 Horatio Luro, American horse trainer (43 x stakes winners; Decidedly, Northern Dancer), dies from pancreatic cancer at 90
  • 1994-09-30 Alex Scott, British horse trainer, shot and killed by a groom at 34
  • 1996-09-30 Aubrey Brabazon, Irish jockey and horse trainer, dies at 76
  • 1997-01-18 Neville Crump, British racehorse trainer (Grand National 1948, 52, 60), dies at 86 [1]
  • 2001-12-06 Robert Camac, American horse trainer, murdered by a family member at 61
  • 2009-06-01 Vincent O'Brien, Irish racehorse trainer (6 x Epsom Derby; 2 x British champion trainer; only British Triple Crown winner, Nijinsky 1970), dies at 92
  • 2009-11-16 Robert J. Frankel, American thoroughbred race horse trainer (5 x Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer; US Champion Trainer by earnings 1993, 2002, 03), dies from leukemia at 68
  • 2010-12-10 MacKenzie Miller, American horse trainer and breeder (b. 1921)
  • 2012-07-01 Loyd Gentry, American thoroughbred trainer (Kentucky Derby 1967 Proud Clarion), dies of heart failure at 86
  • 2017-12-07 Peter Walwyn, British thoroughbred trainer (champion trainer 1974-75), dies at 84
  • 2020-02-03 Robert Alner, British racehorse trainer (Cheltenham Gold Cup: Cool Dawn 1998), dies at 76
  • 2020-08-12 Melvin F. Stute, American thoroughbred racehorse trainer (Preakness Stakes 1986, Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies 1986, Breeders' Cup Sprint 1987), dies at 93
  • 2021-01-15 Bruce Headley, American thoroughbred horse trainer and owner (Breeders' Cup Sprint 2000 Kona Gold), dies from a stroke at 86
  • 2021-12-31 Billy Turner Jr., American thoroughbred trainer (Triple Crown 1977 Seattle Slew), dies from prostate cancer at 81
  • 2022-01-29 Rashid Byramji, Indian thoroughbred trainer (3,170 winners/230 classics; Elusive Pimpernel 22/23 starts; Squanderer 18/19 starts; Indian Derby x 10), dies at 88
  • 2022-02-02 Roy Purdon, New Zealand harness-racing trainer (21 x NZ trainers premierships; 4 x NZ cup winners; 54 x Group One wins), dies at 94
  • 2022-02-12 Brian Kan, Chinese thoroughbred horse trainer (5 x Hong Kong champion trainer; 5 x HK Derby winners), dies at 84
  • 2022-06-12 Buster Welch, American cutting horse trainer (4 x NCHA World Championship; 5 x NCHA World Championship Futurity), dies at 94
  • 2022-06-22 Alec Head, French horse trainer and breeder (6 x champion trainer France; 4 x Arc de Triomphe; owner Haras du Quesnay), dies at 97
  • 2022-11-02 Bubba Cascio, American race horse trainer (All American Futurity 1968, 70), dies at 90
  • 2022-12-23 Colin Jillings, New Zealand thoroughbred horse trainer (W. S. Cox Plate 1993 The Phantom Chance; 4 x Auckland Cup winners; 5 x NZ Derby winners), dies at 91
  • 2023-02-14 John M. Veitch, American thoroughbred horse trainer (Breeders' Cup Classic 1985 [Proud Truth]; Alydar; National Museum of Racing HOF), dies at 77