Roslyn resident Donald Newman, a longtime thoroughbred owner and breeder who raised numerous stakes horses, died on Dec. 23 after a brief illness, the New York Racing Association announced Friday. He was 85.
Newman purchased his first racehorse in 1974 after working as a sportswear manufacturer. His horses won stakes in the 1970s, 1990s, and most recently in 2009, the association said.
In a statement, his son Richard said the family will continue racing.
“In the past few years, he concentrated on breeding New York breds, so we have a number of homebreds that we are getting ready to run,” he said.
Newman’s winners included Mucchina, which won the 1978 Ashland at Keeneland Race Course; First and Only, which won the 1993 Longfellow at Monmouth Park; and So N So, which won the 2009 Lucy Scribner at Saratoga Race Course.
He employed National Museum of Racing Hall of Famer Frank “Pancho” Martin, who trained Sham, the runner-up to Secretariat in two of the 1973 Triple Crown races. Newman also employed Martin’s son Jose and grandson Carlos, as well as Tom Bush.
Newman is survived by his wife Gail, daughter Rebecca and two other sons Matthew and Adam.
