David C. Rich, who found The Rich Farm near Stillwater, N.Y., died July 21 at Saratoga Hospital after a bout with cancer. Born in Worcester, Mass., he was 71.
Rich bought, built, and operated The Rich Farm. The 200-acre farm featured a five-eighth mile track, plus a foaling center with closed circuit cameras. The farm stood such stallions as stakes winners Bounding Basque and Jacques Who.
As a teenager, Rich worked at a farm. He later became an assistant trainer and then an assistant starter for the New York Racing Association.
Rich was a founder of the Saratoga Trials at the Oklahoma Training Track in the 1980s. The Trials were a series of non-betting, training races viewed in a relaxed setting.
Rich is survived by sons David, Jim, John, and Steven; a daughter, Jessica; and 13 grandchildren.