Bloodstock Agent Raymond Rowley Dead

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Raymond Rowley, a well known and popular bloodstock agent on both sides of the Atlantic, died June 21 after a long illness. The Newmarket resident was 62.

Born and raised in Calcutta, India, Rowley did most of his work in America, making his name buying horses that would have a lasting effect on the breed.

Rowley's first interest was trotting horses, and it was through this connection that he met eminent Kentucky horseman John Gaines, owner of Gainesway Farm near Lexington, and Gainesway manager Joe Taylor, who would become a close friend. Gaines also started out with trotters, but soon built Gainesway into a powerful force in the international bloodstock market.

One of the most notable purchases Rowley was involved in was that of Sharpen Up in 1980, when Gaines acquired the young stallion from Side Hill Stud in Newmarket. A group I winner, Sharpen Up sired 83 stakes winners, including such champions as Pebbles, Kris, Selkirk, and Trempolino.

One of the shrewdest Rowley buys was that of Allegretta for 24,000 guineas at the 1981 Tattersalls December Sale. She produced Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I) winner Urban Sea, dam of European champions Galileo, Black Sam Bellamy, and Urban Ocean.

Rowley is survived by children Russell, James, and Kimberley and partner Charlotte Phipps.

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