Charlie Barley, Canada’s champion turf horse of 1989 and multiple stakes winner, died the morning of Thursday, September 9th, he was 24 years-old.
A bay son of Affirmed, Charlie Barley, who won 10 races and recorded 20 top-three finishes from 24 career starts, passed away at thoroughbred trainer-owner Gail Woods’ farm in Ontario.
“He died of old age,” said John Haney, who owned the horse along with Scott Abbott. “He was the highlight of Scott’s and my racing career. He was a super horse. It was a great experience. We were very lucky to be associated with such a great talent.”
In his Sovereign-winning campaign, the Kentucky-bred won four races, along with four seconds and two thirds, from 11 starts. Charlie Barley was also the runner-up to With Approval for 1989 three-year-old male honours.
A $50,000 yearling purchase, Charlie Barley retired from racing in 1990, amassing $922,943 in earnings.
The Charlie Barley Stakes is run annually in early July at Woodbine. The race is open to three-year-old horses and is contested on turf over a distance of one mile (eight furlongs). Inaugurated in 2001, it was raced at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles in the first year.
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