Renowned equine veterinarian Dr. Bob Hunt died Oct. 9 from cancer. He was 69, according to friends and colleagues.
A surgeon at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute near Lexington, Hunt was regarded as one of the country's finest veterinarians and treated some of the top racehorses and stallions in Kentucky through the years, including Unbridled, Uncle Mo, Gone West, and Arrogate. He was also sought by clients for his expertise and guidance at Thoroughbred sales.
A graduate of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine in 1984, he spent his initial years as a veterinarian in California and Georgia before joining Hagyard as an equine surgeon in 1992. His practice included soft tissue and orthopedic surgery, lameness and performance evaluations, nuclear imaging, and assessment and correction of conformational deviations. He was further known for his skill in equine podiatry.
Juddmonte Farm general manager Garrett O'Rourke marveled at Hunt's work on the problematic feet of the laminitis-plagued Exbourne in the early 1990s—efforts that allowed the horse to be comfortable and become a stallion. Thereafter, Hunt became Juddmonte's go-to veterinarian.
"He knew what we wanted. I just had a total trust in everything he said and did," O'Rourke said. "And we just worked tremendously well together.
"I'll miss his professionalism, but I'll really miss the relationship given since it's been since 1992. I know I'll never meet another man like him."
Beyond his work as a veterinarian, Hunt was an owner and breeder, racing as Robert J. Hunt. According to Equibase, he won 83 races as an owner, and his horses earned $1.9 million. He won another three races as a partner with others.
Two years ago, Hunt's Runaway Storm upset the 2023 Bryan Station Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland, a win that provided his young trainer, Ethan West, with his first graded stakes victory. West and Hunt had met years earlier when West was a teenager hustling for work opportunities in the Indiana Grand (now Horseshoe Indianapolis) receiving barn.
The victory was also special as Runaway Storm was a homebred.
"He bred the whole family, raised them all on his farm," West said. "So it was not like he just went out and bought a stakes horse. He made one, and that's what I think he enjoyed the most. He didn't want to go out and buy something; he wanted to do it himself."
Retired horse trainer Buff Bradley, now associate of sales development for Keeneland, appreciated Hunt's assessments of his horses, whether they were standout runners of his stable—like Brass Hat, Groupie Doll, and The Player—or bottom-level maiden $15,000 claimers.
"He was such a horseman that he would say, 'Buff, you don't need to do surgery on this one. This one will be fine," Bradley said.
Despite his health deteriorating, Hunt remained active as a veterinarian through late last week.
"He has his place in the pantheon of equine veterinarians," fellow Hagyard Equine Medical Institute veterinarian Dr. Luke Fallon said. "He was an amazing man, loved his horses and his clients, loved his racing, loved to ride. As my parents could have called him, he was a classic 'hardboot' in every sense of the word and in all the good ways."
West said he spoke to Hunt's wife, Marianne, who told him on Thursday that "she didn't know if there'd be a funeral because he was gonna donate his body."
Hunt's other survivors include his sons, Corey and Mason (Laura) Hunt; Corey's significant other, Kathy Ramsey; Hunt's grandson, Rami; and Hunt's beloved dogs, Lucille and Tom Hadley.
Bradley said of Hunt's death, "I know a lot of people feel exactly how I do: they're lost without his advice and mentorship."
