Owner Vanderhyde dies at 67

Thomas Vanderhyde, a prominent owner in the Midwest in the mid-2000s, died last Thursday at age 67.

A resident of Grand Rapids, Mich., Vanderhyde was best known as the original owner of Even the Score, who won the Mardi Gras Handicap and placed in a pair of Grade 2 races before being sold to Ro Parra of Millennium Farms.

Vanderhyde also was the owner of Sacred Journey, who won two of his first three starts before Fox Hill Farms bought into the horse. Sacred Journey finished a dead-heat third in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes for the partnership, and the operation of Rick Porter bought the horse outright at the end of his 3-year-old season.

Vanderhyde also campaigned runners such as the Grade 3-placed stakes winner Red Cat and the Grade 2-placed Speed to Burn. Dallas Stewart was his primary trainer on the larger circuits.

Vanderhyde piled up most of his wins in his home state, winning the owners’ title at the final two meets at Great Lakes Downs in 2006 and 2007. He was second by wins during the 2005 meet at Great Lakes Downs and finished second during the inaugural meet at Pinnacle Race Course.

His most successful season came in 2007, when Vanderhyde’s runners won 55 starts and placed in an additional 133 races to earn $539,548. His 50 wins at Great Lakes Downs that year put him 21 ahead of runner-up Mast Thoroughbreds for the meet.

Gerald Bennett and John Rupert were the primary trainers for Vanderhyde’s Michigan-based string, which included stakes winners Deb’s Favoite Gift, Candy Cane, and Musical Factor.

Vanderhyde briefly served as acting president of the Michigan Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, the highlight of a roughly two-year tenure on the organization’s board. He also had a presence as a breeder in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Outside of racing, Vanderhyde owned and operated several car dealerships throughout Michigan and was a member of the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association.