Donald I. Rudder, who raced grade I winners Behrens and Will's Way in partnership, died April 9 in Hobe Sound, Fla., after a brief hospital stay.
In the name of Rudlein Stable, Rudder and his wife, Anne, campaigned Behrens and Will’s Way with William Clifton Jr.
Will’s Way proved especially adept at Saratoga. As a 3-year-old in 1996, he won the Travers Stakes (gr. I) over Preakness (gr. I) winner Louis Quatorze and Skip Away and ran second in the Jim Dandy Stakes (gr. II). In 1997 at the Spa, he beat Formal Gold and Skip Away in the Whitney Handicap (gr. I).
Behrens was a seven-time graded stakes winner. His big wins came in the Oaklawn Handicap (gr. I) in 1999 and the Gulfstream Park Handicap (gr. I) in 1999 and 2000. Behrens earned $4.5 million.
Donald Rudder was the founder of the National Association of Thoroughbred Owners (NATO) and served as its chairman. He and Anne were partners in EQUIX Biomechanics for many years prior to the dissolution of that partnership. They later formed DataTrack International.
Rudlein Stable campaigned additional graded stakes winners Devious Course, Mr. Groush, and Ok by Me.