Howard Walton, who bred Canadian champion Maritimer, dies at 81

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Longtime Ontario owner/breeder Howard Walton, who campaigned Canadian champion Maritimer, died in Toronto on May 29 at age 81.

Under the nom de plume Norseman Racing Stable, Walton won 290 races, including 20 stakes, while accumulating $11.3 million U.S. in earnings. Among his 13 stakes winners, aside from Maritimer, were the Grade 2-winning sprinter Signature Red, a successful Ontario sire, and three-time added-money winner Generous Touch. All three were conditioned by the Hall of Famer Sid Attard, who said he trained for Walton for 30 years.

“He had some nice horses,” Attard said. “He was good for the business. He was very good to the guys - the help. When he won a race, before the horse came back for the picture he gave them a hundred dollars extra. He was a smart man. He worked hard.”

Maritimer was the champion male 2-year-old in 2011, during which he won the Coronation Futurity and Display Stakes before Walton sold him for $1.65 million after his juvenile campaign. The son of Stormy Atlantic showed little in three subsequent starts in the United Arab Emirates.

“He was good horse,” Attard recalled.

The stewards scratched Norseman Racing Stable runner Cara Cara from Sunday’s ninth race feature at Woodbine.

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