Hermen Greenberg, breeder of 1993 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Colonial Affair, died Feb. 28. A resident of Washington, D.C., and owner of Rutledge Farm near Middleburg, Va., he was 89.
Colonial Affair, bred in the Rutledge name, captured the Belmont over a field that included Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Sea Hero for Centennial Farms. The win proved historic in that the colt’s rider, Julie Krone, became the first woman to ride a winner of a Triple Crown race.
The following year, Colonial Affair won the Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I) and the Whitney Handicap (gr. I).
Greenberg, who was involved in the real estate and construction business in Washington, bred or raced other multiple stakes winners such as Battle Mountain, Clever Clever, Researcher, and Sur La Tete.
Researcher, currently in training for Rutledge Farm, won the 2008 Queens County Handicap (gr. III) at Aqueduct and four stakes in West Virginia in 2008-09, including the $615,000 Charles Town Classic Stakes last April. Sur La Tete, bred by Rutledge, was one of the top jumpers from 2003-06, winning nine graded stakes, six of which were grade I events.
Greenberg’s survivors include his wife, Monica, and two sons and a daughter.
