Former owner Cafarchia passes

Funeral services were held earlier this month for owner and breeder Nick Cafarchia, who died after a recent illness on June 5.

Cafarchia was 84.

A native of Bari, Italy, Cafarchia emigrated to the United States in 1959 and within two years had acquired Eagle Rock Italian Bakery in Los Angeles, which remains the family business.

Cafarchia won more than 100 races with a small stable led by Grade 2 winners Road to Slew and Rare Charmer, and stakes winners Anziyan Royalty and My Summer Slew, all trained by Craig Dollase for all or part of their careers.

The stable was at its peak in the early months of 2001 when Rare Charmer won the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes and Road to Slew won the Grade 2 Frank Kilroe Mile two weeks apart.

Road to Slew, who won 8 of 25 starts and earned $875,360, was a five-time stakes winner in a six-year career from 1998 to 2003.

Rare Charmer won 8 of 24 starts and earned $540,216 in a four-year career from 1998 to 2001.

Aside from Dollase, Cafarchia had horses in training with several trainers in recent years, including Richard Baltas, Robert Lucas, Anthony Saavedra, and Javier Sierra.