William Ward Stephens
Encyclopedia
William Ward "Bill" Stephens (November 21, 1922 - July 10, 1987) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing
trainer
. A younger brother to U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
trainer, Woody Stephens
, he was often referred to as "Bill" by the media.
Stephens began his career in racing as his brother's assistant at Royce Martin's Woodvale Farm in Kentucky
. However, his career was interrupted during World War II
when he served overseas with the United States Army
.
He resumed his career in racing at war's end and in 1950 succeeded John Nerud
as head trainer for Herbert Woolf's
Woolford Farm
. In 1951 he saddled his first stakes race
winner, when Champion Sprinter of 1949 Delegate won the Roseben Handicap
at New York
s Belmont Park
.
Bill Stephens went on to train for the stable owned by Adele L. Rand. For Mrs. Rand, he most notably conditioned Clem
whose important wins included three straight over future Hall of Fame inductee, Round Table
. Clem did it first in the September 1, 1958 Washington Park Handicap
while setting a new track record time. The colt was then shipped all the way to the East Coast of the United States
to the Atlantic City Race Course
where on September 13 he set another new track record for a mile and three sixteenths on turf in winning the United Nations Handicap while again defeating Round Table. Clem then beat Round Table for the third time in a row on September 27 in the Woodward Stakes
.
In the latter part of the 1960s, Bill Stephens took over from his brother as the trainer for Harry Guggenheim's Cain Hoy Stable
. Among his successful Cain Hoy runners was the 1967 Futurity Stakes winner Captain's Gig
who set a new Aqueduct
track record. In 1958, enroute to the Kentucky Derby
the lightly raced colt won the Forerunner Purse
at Keeneland
then the Stepping Stone Purse
at Churchill Downs
.
Retired from racing, Bill Stephens was living in Franklin Square, New York
when he died at age sixty-four of lung cancer
at the Veterans Administration Hospital
in Brooklyn
, New York
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
. A younger brother to U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
trainer, Woody Stephens
Woody Stephens
Woody Stephens was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer.Born Woodford Cefis Stephens in Stanton, Kentucky, his younger brother William Ward Stephens also became a successful trainer. Woody Stephens first started in racing as a jockey at age 16 but within a few years switched...
, he was often referred to as "Bill" by the media.
Stephens began his career in racing as his brother's assistant at Royce Martin's Woodvale Farm in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. However, his career was interrupted during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when he served overseas with the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
He resumed his career in racing at war's end and in 1950 succeeded John Nerud
John A. Nerud
John A. Nerud is an American thoroughbred horse trainer and owner who was inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1972.-Early years:...
as head trainer for Herbert Woolf's
Herbert M. Woolf
Herbert M. Woolf was an American businessman and Thoroughbred racehorse owner.Herbert Morris Woolf was born on October 11, 1880, graduated from Central High School in 1898. He was the president of Woolf Brothers, the Kansas City based luxury goods department store founded in 1865 by his father,...
Woolford Farm
Woolford Farm
Woolford Farm raised thoroughbred race horses in eastern Kansas, in what is now the city of Prairie Village, a suburb of Kansas City. The was owned by Herbert M. Woolf. Trainer Ben A. Jones worked there before going to Calumet Farm in Lexington, Kentucky....
. In 1951 he saddled his first stakes race
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
winner, when Champion Sprinter of 1949 Delegate won the Roseben Handicap
Roseben Handicap
The Roseben Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually from 1940 through 1995. Hosted by Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, it was open to horses age three and older. A Grade III event at the time of its cancellation, it was contested on dirt over a distance of six...
at New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
s Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
.
Bill Stephens went on to train for the stable owned by Adele L. Rand. For Mrs. Rand, he most notably conditioned Clem
Clem (horse)
Clem was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by MGM Studios boss, Louis B. Mayer, he was purchased and raced by Adele Rand....
whose important wins included three straight over future Hall of Fame inductee, Round Table
Round Table (horse)
Round Table was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse. He is considered the greatest turf horse in American racing history. He was foaled at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, on the night of April 6, 1954...
. Clem did it first in the September 1, 1958 Washington Park Handicap
Washington Park Handicap
The Washington Park Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of September at Arlington Park Racetrack in Arlington Heights, Illinois. A Grade III event open to horses age three and older, it is contested on Polytrack synthetic dirt over a distance of a...
while setting a new track record time. The colt was then shipped all the way to the East Coast of the United States
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
to the Atlantic City Race Course
Atlantic City Race Course
The Atlantic City Race Course , formerly the Atlantic City Race Track, is a thoroughbred horse race track located in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The track is located off the Black Horse Pike next to the Hamilton Mall...
where on September 13 he set another new track record for a mile and three sixteenths on turf in winning the United Nations Handicap while again defeating Round Table. Clem then beat Round Table for the third time in a row on September 27 in the Woodward Stakes
Woodward Stakes
The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...
.
In the latter part of the 1960s, Bill Stephens took over from his brother as the trainer for Harry Guggenheim's Cain Hoy Stable
Cain Hoy Stable
Cain Hoy Stable was a Thoroughbred racing stable and horse breeding operation with training facilities in Columbia, South Carolina and Kissimmee, Florida. It was owned by Harry Guggenheim who also raced horses in Europe...
. Among his successful Cain Hoy runners was the 1967 Futurity Stakes winner Captain's Gig
Captain's Gig (horse)
Captain's Gig was an American Thoroughbred racehorse bred and raced by Harry Guggenheim's Cain Hoy Stable. Sired by Turn-To, his dam was Guggenheim's good runner Make Sail who in 1960 won the Kentucky Oaks and Alabama Stakes...
who set a new Aqueduct
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
track record. In 1958, enroute to the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
the lightly raced colt won the Forerunner Purse
Forerunner Stakes
The Forerunner Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the third week of April at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Open to three-year-old horses, it is contested on turf over a distance of one and one-eighth miles .Inaugurated in 1950, the Forerunner Stakes...
at Keeneland
Keeneland
Keeneland is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and sales complex in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. Operated by the Keeneland Association, Inc., it is also known for its reference library on the sport, which contains more than 10,000 volumes, an extensive videocassette collection, and a substantial...
then the Stepping Stone Purse
Stepping Stone Purse
The Stepping Stone Purse was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the latter part of April at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky...
at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
.
Retired from racing, Bill Stephens was living in Franklin Square, New York
Franklin Square, New York
Franklin Square is a hamlet in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 29,320 at the 2010 census...
when he died at age sixty-four of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
at the Veterans Administration Hospital
Veterans Administration Hospital
Veterans Administration Hospital or Veterans Administration Medical Center is a term used to refer to one of the medical facilities operated by the Veterans Health Administration, a division of the U.S...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...