Bayard Sharp, owner, dead

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Prominent Thoroughbred owner and breeder Bayard Sharp, whose racing stable included Dixieland Band and Mississippi Mud, died Aug. 9 at his home in Centreville, Del., the Wilmington News Journal has reported. Sharp, 89, died after a brief illness.

Sharp was a member of The Jockey Club, trustee emeritus of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, and chairman of The Blood-Horse trade publication.

Sharp also was known for his philanthropic projects, including donations to the University of Delaware, a foundation to protect historic homes, and donation of 113 acres of Florida beachfront for a state park.

A lieutenant commander in the Navy during World War II, Sharp later established himself as a sportsman with such runners as Dixieland Band, who now stands at stud at Lane's End Farm, the farm owned by Sharp's daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Will Farish. His other notable runners included Northrup and Dixieland Brass.

Outside the sporting life, Sharp - a great-grandson of E. I. DuPont - was a Republican Party activist.