Hall of Fame trainer dies
Frank Whiteley Jr., a trainer of some of horse racing’s biggest stars and a member of the sport’s hall of fame for 30 years, died Friday in Camden, S.C. He was 93.
No cause of death was released, but Whiteley had been ill for some time.
He was the trainer of, among others, Ruffian as well as multiple stakes winners Damascus and Forego.
Whiteley directed Damascus to a horse-of-the-year title in 1967 after earning his first victory in a Triple Crown race when Tom Rolfe was ridden to a win in the 1965 Preakness.
In the 1970s, Whiteley had success with the ill-fated Ruffian, who was a champion filly as a 2- and 3-year-old. She was undefeated in 10 starts before suffering a fatal leg injury while competing in a match race against Foolish Pleasure, the champion 3-year-old male, on July 6, 1975, at Belmont Park.
Ruffian was in front of the colt when she was injured before more than 50,000 and a nationwide television audience that was reported to number about 18 million.
In 1976, Whiteley took over the training of Forego, who went on to win his third consecutive horse-of-the-year title.
