Aubrey Villyard, a long-time Thoroughbred trainer in Washington State, died Dec. 9 after a long battle with leukemia. Mr. Villyard was 67.
Villyard saddled 96 winners at Emerald Downs, including dual stakes winner Wild Cycle and stakes winners Random Memo, Charming Colleen, and Pirates Deputy, the 2006 Gottstein Futurity winner. His best season was 2004 when he had 16 winners from 58 starts and was voted the “top training achievement.”
Born in Georgia and raised in Renton, Wash., Mr. Villyard took out his training license in the 1970s and won his first stakes at Yakima Meadows in 1992, the Columbia River Handicap with Sat in Session.
He is survived by his wife, Sue. Per his wish, there will be no services.
