Owner Elaine Klein, who had great success racing and breeding horses with her husband, Bertram, and son, Richard, died July 31 after a battle with cancer. She was 80.
Based in Louisville, the Kleins raced many top horses including grade I winner Outofthebox and major winners Allamerican Bertie, De Bertie, Hurricane Bertie, Swept Away, Thunder Bertie, and Uptown Bertie.
Their homebred Miz Ida (Proud Citizen—May Gator, by Green Alligator) has won five stakes for trainer Steve Margolis including this year's Mint Julep Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Churchill Downs.
Klein celebrated 25 years in the Thoroughbred business last year. She began by racing horses with her son with trainer Rick Hiles.
"Brereton Jones hooked us up with trainer Rick Hiles," she told The Blood-Horse last fall. "We had all of two horses and we didn't know a durned thing, but we knew what we liked."
Her husband ran his own stable and the family combined forces about 15 years ago. Combined they raced more than 80 stakes winners and have more than 20 graded stakes wins to their credit.
Country Day , their three-time stakes winner, ran second in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IIT) at Churchill Downs in 2011.
Funeral arrangements are pending.