Former California Horse Racing Board chairman Chuck Winner dies at 81

In the tumultuous spring of 2019, when racing at Santa Anita was briefly suspended following a series of equine fatalities, then-California Horse Racing Board chairman Chuck Winner frequently spoke with government officials in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., providing updates on proposed equine-safety measures.

One of those conversations was a conference call with California Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

“What Chuck had was the credibility to have a frank conversation with a U.S. senator and be trusted,” former racing board executive director Rick Baedeker said Thursday.

“You could cite countless incidents that Chuck was behind the scenes, working to protect racing. I don’t think anyone could appreciate how hard he worked on that.”

Winner, a longtime horse owner and chairman of the racing board for five years, died after a brief illness on Thursday. He was 81.

Through early 2019, Winner worked with regulatory officials, racetracks, and horsemen’s organizations to develop enhanced safety protocols that rapidly reduced the number of fatalities at Santa Anita and other California tracks.

Winner, who had a professional background in crisis and political consulting with a Beverly Hills-based firm, was already extensively involved in racing as an owner when he joined the racing board in 2012.

Baedeker cited Winner’s experience in such crisis management as crucial for racing.

“While many of us might be overwhelmed, he was energized by the challenge of addressing things and fixing things,” Baedeker said.

With longtime friend David Bienstock, Winner co-owned Magical Fantasy, who won four Grade 1 races on turf in 2008 and 2009 in Southern California; Flamboyant, winner of three graded stakes in 2016 and 2018; Domestic Dispute, who won the Grade 2 Strub Stakes and was sixth in the Dubai World Cup in 2004; and Walkslikeaduck, who won the 2000 Del Mar Derby, among others.

“This was a sad morning for us,” Bienstock said. “His relationship to everyone in racing from the trainers to the vets was incredible.

“When he left the board, he was a little sad. He never got the credit for doing what he did for horse racing in California. He cared about the animals so much. I’m prejudiced. He was my best friend.”

Richard Rosenberg met Winner when he was appointed to the racing board. Later, the two owned horses together, including horses active this season.

“Chuck’s leadership was exceptional,” Rosenberg said. “He combined being a very polite, pleasant person. He was highly intelligent, had a sense of humor, and he was kind to people in general. He became a very good friend of mine.

“People who he negotiated with always seem to come away happy with the result.”

Winner suffered a stroke last summer, but showed improvement through the later months of 2021.

“I have lost a very good friend,” said Madeline Auerbach, a longtime owner and breeder and former racing board vice-chair.

“Racing lost its very best friend, in terms of politics. He did shepherd this industry through the worst of times.”

Winner is survived by his wife, Annie, and four children. Private funeral arrangement are pending, according to the racing board.