Hall of Fame trainer John Veitch, who trained the great Alydar, died Feb. 14 in Lexington, according to his second cousin Michael Veitch and his longtime friend Bobby Penn. Veitch was 77.
In a career that spanned from 1974-2003, Veitch trained four champions—Before Dawn, Davona Dale, Our Mims, and Sunshine Forever—as well as Alydar, who joined Davona Dale in the Hall of Fame. Calumet Farm homebred Alydar may be best known for his three courageous runner-up finishes to Affirmed in the 1978 Triple Crown, but he also won six grade 1 races, including the 1978 Travers Stakes (G1). He finished as the leading sire of 1990.
Author Ed Bowen, who first met Veitch in the 1970s while writing for BloodHorse, recalled Veitch's "sportsmanship and positive attitude."
"Here he was with this wonderful horse (Alydar) but just got beat so often by Affirmed," Bowen remembered. "And Alydar was such a brilliant horse... The day after he lost the Belmont—Affirmed finished off the Triple Crown—Veitch the next morning was sitting on the foot of his Jaguar on the backstretch of Belmont Park, eating a fudgsicle, of all things, and he said, 'Well, I think I can still beat that horse.'
"He was resilient, very much an accomplished horseman, and just had a great spark about him. Quite a personality."
Hall of Fame jockey Jorge Velasquez, who rode many top horses for Veitch, including Davona Dale, Our Mims, and Alydar, expressed sadness upon hearing of Veitch's death.
"John and I got along very well," he said. "He treated me perfect; treated me with respect. He believed in me and my riding, and I believed in him because he was a great trainer. And he was a great person."
Veitch, the son of Hall of Fame trainer Sylvester Veitch, won 410 races in his career, including 76 graded stakes and 93 overall stakes. John Veitch was enshrined in 2007.
"He was very, very, very proud to join his father in the Hall of Fame. That was a big, big day in John's life," said Michael Veitch, who serves as historian at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
John Veitch was instrumental in the revitalization of legendary Calumet Farm, which had fallen on lean times. He trained for Calumet from 1976-1982. Veitch also had a successful tenure as a private trainer for another historic stable, Darby Dan.
"That's when John was the happiest, when he wasn't answering to multiple ownerships," Michael Veitch said. "That was his generation. I think his horsemanship speaks for itself. It was Hall of Fame."
Veitch's champions ranged from a 2-year-old filly to a mature turf colt, as his Eclipse Award winners included Davona Dale, Our Mims, Before Dawn, and Sunshine Forever, who would run second in the 1988 Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T).
Calumet's Davona Dale swept both old and modern versions of the Filly Triple Crowns, taking the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) in addition to New York's Acorn, Mother Goose, and Coaching Club American Oaks (all G1).
Alydar defeated Affirmed three times, most notably in the Champagne Stakes (G1) and via disqualification in the Travers. Alydar also won these grade 1 races: the Flamingo Stakes, Sapling Stakes, Florida Derby, and Blue Grass Stakes. He defeated older horses in winning the Whitney Stakes (G2) by 10 lengths.
"(You) can't take anything away from Alydar and his run-ins with Affirmed in the Triple Crown," Veitch told Breeders' Cup in 1988.
In 1985, Veitch won the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) with Proud Truth for Darby Dan. In 1983 he won the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) with Star Choice for Frances Genter. In addition to Sunshine Forever, his other major Darby Dan runners included Florida Derby winner Brian's Time and Yellow Ribbon Invitational Stakes (G1T) and Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G2T) winner Plenty of Grace.
"From the standpoint of an individual race, I would have to think that the (Breeders' Cup) Classic was as big a thrill as I've ever had," Veitch told Breeders' Cup in 1988. "It was wonderful. And certainly to win it for a man like (Darby Dan founder John W. Galbreath), who did so much in racing, it was a great thrill for him and that made it even a greater thrill for me."
Rogers Beasley, former vice president of racing at Keeneland, called Veitch a true gentleman who always conducted himself in a first-class manner.
"He was old school from not only training but in his courtesy to all—always in coat and tie at the races," Beasley said. "He was a product of a passed era: a gentleman."
Following his training career, Veitch became chief steward for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. He eventually left that role after fallout from the 2010 Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs, in which grade 1 winner Life At Ten was allowed to compete even though jockey John Velazquez, in a nationally televised interview, raised concerns about how she was warming up before the race.
Life At Ten, who was not persevered with during the race and finished last as the prohibitive favorite, was not selected for post-race testing.
The commission later alleged that Veitch violated a handful of regulations and sanctioned him.
"He fought it. He felt he got (a raw deal)," said Penn.
Penn said Veitch had a quiet side to him and could make people laugh with his sense of humor. The two would hunt together. Penn came by Veitch's house in Lexington Tuesday and discovered that Veitch had died. Born in Lexington and a resident of Old Westbury, N.Y., for much of his training career, Veitch had remained in Kentucky after leaving the KHRC.
Besides Michael Veitch and other extended family, John Veitch's survivors include a daughter, Shannon Veitch Storms, and a son, Jason Veitch.
John's third wife, Ellis Conway Veitch, died in 2017. He will be interred alongside her in a plot in Saratoga Springs, Michael Veitch said.
