Longtime Pennsylvania trainer Walter Reese dies at 88

Walter Reese, a Philadelphia native and leading trainer at five Philadelphia Park meets in the 1980s, died Nov. 10 at age 88. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Cynthia G. Reese, an active trainer at Parx Racing.

Reese was not your typical trainer in that he was known in his heyday for occasionally commuting from his Timber Creek Farm in Robbinsville, N.J., to Philadelphia Park by helicopter.

He also trained 1991 Horse of the Year Black Tie Affair for his first 12 starts before selling the Ireland-bred to trainer Ernie Poulos early in his 3-year-old season. Poulos would go on to win the Breeders' Cup Classic with him as a 5-year-old.

A winner of 1,304 races, Reese scored his most notable career victory with Devil's Honor in the 1996 Pennsylvania Derby. Devil's Honor, who was jointly trained by Walter and Cynthia, won six other stakes for the Reeses, including the Cradle at River Downs and the Whirlaway at Aqueduct, before being transferred by owner Noreen Carpenito to a different trainer.

Devil's Honor finished third under Craig Perret in the Grade 1 Super Derby in 1996 when trained by the Reeses.

In addition to his wife, Reese is survived by five children. A memorial service will be held at a later date.