Bill Handleman, racing writer, dies

Bill Handleman, longtime racing writer and columnist for the Asbury Park Press in New Jersey, died Wednesday after a battle with cancer. He was 62.

Handleman joined the Asbury Park Press in 1980 and covered Thoroughbred horse racing as well as other sports for the paper up until 2006, when he began writing columns for the news department.

Handleman's coverage of the international case involving David Goldman and his son, Sean, a 4-year-old taken to Brazil by his mother who later died, earned him a nomination for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize.

Handleman's first love, however, was horse racing, and he was a fixture at Monmouth Park for decades. He not only covered the races, but he was an avid horseplayer. In 1995, he became the first public handicapper to win Penn National's World Series of Handicapping contest.

Handleman is survived by his wife, Judy; two daughters, Alex and Jeanie; and a son, Kevin. A wake will be held on Friday, from 4 to 8 p.m., at Buckley Funeral Home, 509 2nd Avenue, in Asbury Park, N.J.

Friends of Handleman have arranged a fund-raiser to help defray medical costs. A buffet breakfast will be held on Saturday at Mr. C's Restaurant in Allenhurst, N.J., from 9:30 a.m. to noon. More information is available from Kenny Jordan at (732) 919-0779.