Murray Recalls Late Breeder Howard Bender
Oct 2, 2015 1:19:25 GMT -5
Post by Jon on Oct 2, 2015 1:19:25 GMT -5
Hey CC - Sad day. Years ago they shipped a horse to NY and CC told us to play it as the trainer/owner combo was so good. It won at long odds and we had a great day. Cashed many tickets both in MD and elsewhere on them. Hope his wife keeps the stable running.
Murray Recalls Late Breeder Howard Bender
By Ron Mitchell
Bloodhorse
The Sept. 28 death of Howard Bender, who along with his late wife, Sondra, was among the leading breeders in Maryland, came as a "real shock' to the couple's long-time trainer, Larry Murray.
"I had just seen him last Thursday," said Murray, who trained for the Benders for nearly 30 years.
Howard Bender's death in Bethesda, Md., came less than a month after he was honored as 2014 Maryland breeder of the year by the national Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. The Benders previously were the Maryland TOBA award winners three times, in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Sondra Bender died in 2012.
According to the Maryland Jockey Club, the Benders bred the winners of more than 500 races and $14 million in earnings since starting Glade Valley Farm near Frederick, Md., in 1983. Among the more than 30 stakes winners bred by the Benders were grade II winners London Lane, Promenade Girl, Green Darlin, and Rhapsodic; grade III winners Secret Odds, Foufa's Warrior, and Secret River; 12-time stakes winner La Reine's Tune; and multiple stakes winner Maryland Moon, among others.
"Whenever we went to Saratoga we had a ball, and going to Kentucky to buy or sell horses was a lot of fun," Murray said. "They were just great people to be around. I was telling my wife last night that, at the funeral service, I bet everybody in that room is going to think to themselves how lucky we were to have them in our lives. They were just were special people."
Murray said he was already in the process of phasing out the Bender horses and still has 19 at the track, with 30 at the farm.
"We were phasing it out," Murray said. "I sold three yearlings at Keeneland last week. The rest of the yearling crop is selling at Timonium next week, so we weren't going to have any 2-year-olds coming into the stable next year. I have a bunch of mares that are selling in the fall in Kentucky, and we'll sell some more in January."
According to Murray, Bender will be represented Oct. 17 at Laurel Park on Maryland Million Day by Maryland's Love, a 2-year-old daughter of Not For Love who won at first asking Sept. 18.
Bender is survived by four children. Services were held Oct. 1. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the JCC of Greater Washington "Sondra and Howard Bender Early Childhood Center" or Jewish Social Services or Jewish Foundation for Group Homes.
Murray Recalls Late Breeder Howard Bender
By Ron Mitchell
Bloodhorse
The Sept. 28 death of Howard Bender, who along with his late wife, Sondra, was among the leading breeders in Maryland, came as a "real shock' to the couple's long-time trainer, Larry Murray.
"I had just seen him last Thursday," said Murray, who trained for the Benders for nearly 30 years.
Howard Bender's death in Bethesda, Md., came less than a month after he was honored as 2014 Maryland breeder of the year by the national Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. The Benders previously were the Maryland TOBA award winners three times, in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Sondra Bender died in 2012.
According to the Maryland Jockey Club, the Benders bred the winners of more than 500 races and $14 million in earnings since starting Glade Valley Farm near Frederick, Md., in 1983. Among the more than 30 stakes winners bred by the Benders were grade II winners London Lane, Promenade Girl, Green Darlin, and Rhapsodic; grade III winners Secret Odds, Foufa's Warrior, and Secret River; 12-time stakes winner La Reine's Tune; and multiple stakes winner Maryland Moon, among others.
"Whenever we went to Saratoga we had a ball, and going to Kentucky to buy or sell horses was a lot of fun," Murray said. "They were just great people to be around. I was telling my wife last night that, at the funeral service, I bet everybody in that room is going to think to themselves how lucky we were to have them in our lives. They were just were special people."
Murray said he was already in the process of phasing out the Bender horses and still has 19 at the track, with 30 at the farm.
"We were phasing it out," Murray said. "I sold three yearlings at Keeneland last week. The rest of the yearling crop is selling at Timonium next week, so we weren't going to have any 2-year-olds coming into the stable next year. I have a bunch of mares that are selling in the fall in Kentucky, and we'll sell some more in January."
According to Murray, Bender will be represented Oct. 17 at Laurel Park on Maryland Million Day by Maryland's Love, a 2-year-old daughter of Not For Love who won at first asking Sept. 18.
Bender is survived by four children. Services were held Oct. 1. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the JCC of Greater Washington "Sondra and Howard Bender Early Childhood Center" or Jewish Social Services or Jewish Foundation for Group Homes.
