WILLIAM (BILL) D. GRAHAM
1937-2019
Thoroughblog is saddened to hear the news that Bill Graham, one of the most influential builders and breeders in Canadian racing, passed away Tuesday Jan. 15.
Graham, who has raised and sold some of the best Canadian-bred horses in North America, just sold a yearling at last week’s January Keeneland sale, a Nyquist youngster, for $220,000.
Graham was recently informed by the Jockey Club of Canada that he would receive the E P Taylor Award of Merit at the Sovereign Awards in April.
“He called me to tell me the news of receiving the Award of Merit,” said Tim Beeson, Graham’s longtime Kentucky farm manager. “He was so excited he broke down in tears.”
Graham had previously won the 2012 Sovereign Award for Outstanding Breeder and was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2014. He was also on the boards of many industry organizations such as Woodbine, the ORCV, HBPA and CTHS.
Bob Hancock has managed the many remarkable Canadian-breds born at Graham’s beautiful Windhaven farm in Caledon, Ontario for the last 40 years. Hancock and his wife Beth raised a family at Windhaven and lived just a few strides from Graham’s house on the farm. In a recent story in Canadian Thoroughbred, Hancock commented that, “He loves to watch his own horses race, and he loves to gamble on pedigree nicks. It’s exciting to him.”
Despite battling illness in the past year, Graham was much like his home-bred horses; he never slowed down from his quest to breed the best racehorse. His home-bred Tiz Breathtaking was one of last year’s top 2-year-old fillies and is a Woodbine Oaks contender this season.
Bill Graham was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2014. One of his longtime trainers, Mike Doyle, presented Bill with his ring. CHRHF photo
Graham’s rise into the top echelon of all-time leading Canadian thoroughbred breeders has been well documented. A high school sports star, professional football player in the CFL and the founder of a thriving heavy construction business, Graham Construction, it was that fateful honeymoon visit to Gulfstream Park that started everything.
His late wife, Valerie, a horse racing fanatic, talked Graham into checking out the races. “I remember Bill telling me Valerie’s family had racehorses and she used to hide in the trunk of the family car to go to the barns since kids weren’t allowed on the backstretch back then,” said Hancock.
The hook was firmly in place in Graham and he became intrigued by the pedigrees and nicks of top racehorses.
Bill was hands-on and had his own ideas about racing and breeding and the industry. His own stable of horses include some of the most popular and talented runners in recent years, mostly fillies that he did not sell but raced and then bred: Blondeinamotel, Wavering Girl, Fantasy Lake, Proud Lou, and the list goes on.
“It’s always been about the broodmares,” Graham said. “You try to keep yourself in the best company with what you can afford.”
Bill was a regular visitor to the races when his horses were in action or his home-breds were in big events in the U.S.. He enjoyed the cuisine at Woodbine and talking racing with fellow horse people whenever he came by.
He will be greatly missed.
