'She was an outstanding horsewoman' - Affirmed's owner Patrice Wolfson dies aged 87

Patrice Jacobs Wolfson, who along with her husband Louis owned Harbor View Farm and raced 1978 Triple Crown winner Affirmed, has died at her home in Bal Harbour, Florida. She was 87.

Wolfson was a prominent and highly respected figure in racing and breeding, especially in Florida, where the Ocala-based Harbor View Farm was located.

Steve Wolfson said his stepmother had been in declining health for the past few years.

"Patrice and Penny Tweedy were the first ladies of thoroughbred racing of their time," he said. "It was a different time. It was a time of civility and dressing nicely at the races. They epitomised that. 

"She and my father [Louis Wolfson] made a special couple. She meant the world to him and brought him a lot of happiness."

Harbor View Farm also bred and raced Hall of Famer Flawlessly, a daughter of Affirmed who earned $2.5 million in her career and was the Eclipse Award-winning champion grass female in 1992-93.

Raised in a racing family, Wolfson was the only daughter of legendary trainer Hirsch Jacobs and owned stakes-winning thoroughbreds before marrying Louis in 1972. Her husband, who passed away in 2007, had owned Harbor View Farm since 1959.

The Wolfsons sold Harbor View Farm in 1977 but continued to breed and race under that name until 2012.

Florida-bred Affirmed, a homebred for Harbor View Farm, became the 11th Triple Crown winner in 1978 through three unforgettable victories over his famed rival Alydar. 

Affirmed (far side) gets the better of old rival Alydar to land the third leg of the 1978 Triple Crown

The crowning achievement came in the Belmont Stakes, in which Affirmed and Steve Cauthen battled with Alydar for the final mile of the last leg in the Triple Crown. Affirmed prevailed by a head in one of the sport's greatest races.

"I still think about that race every day," Wolfson said in 2011. "It is an indelible memory, especially considering the splendour of Belmont Park."

Cauthen, who was 18 at the time of Affirmed's Triple Crown victory, told BloodHorse upon hearing the news of Wolfson's death: "She was a great horsewoman. She loved Affirmed like a son; she was so in love with the horse. 

"She was a wonderful lady, and from one of the royal families of racing. We were on the magic carpet ride together. I was just glad they let me stay on the carpet as long as they did." 

The Laz Barrera-trained Affirmed was horse of the year and champion three-year-old male in 1978, horse of the year and champion older male in 1979, and champion two-year-old male in 1977. 

The first thoroughbred to pass $2m in earnings, he was retired in 1979 with a record of 22 wins from 29 starts and earnings of $2,393,818.

Wolfson wrote in a 2008 column for BloodHorse: "Affirmed was both the focal point and cement that would bind my husband's and my wonderful 35-year relationship. From the outset of our marriage in Miami in 1972, we dearly enjoyed driving up to spend time at Harbor View Farm, near Ocala. It was there, in 1975, that we first noticed a flashy little chestnut colt that loved to show his heels to his contemporaries. 

"Through it all, Affirmed never lost that sweet gentleness first observed when Lou and I sat on that fence watching the foals romp through the pasture at Harbor View Farm. One of my favourite pictures shows Affirmed willingly putting his head under my arm so I could give a little hug and bid him a safe journey to his stallion career in Kentucky."

John Williams, who worked with Harbor View's Kentucky-based mares at Spendthrift Farm in the mid-1970s and then at his own Ballindaggin Farm, developed a relationship with Lou and Patrice Wolfson.

"Lou knew I was on the ground with his horses and I kind of became the go-to guy for him to check on his mares," said Williams, who added: "Patrice was very impactful on not just my career but my life."

Affirmed (far side) with Alydar in the 1978 Belmont StakesCredit: Sports Illustrated via Getty Ima

Wolfson's first horse, Basil Lee, was a gift from her father on her 21st birthday in 1958. She also owned Hail To Reason, the champion two-year-old male of 1960 and later an influential sire.

"Patrice was an outstanding horsewoman," said Steve Wolfson. "She knew all the bloodlines and was the one who would talk to Laz Barrera about Affirmed."

Lifelong friend Connie De Pasquale said: "We would attend most of the Belmont Stakes together. She was a wonderful horsewoman. You'd walk around Belmont and she knew everyone. When the horses raced, she knew the silks of all the owners. She taught me a lot about the horses."

Also among Harbor View Farm's list of Graded winners are champion two-year-old fillies Outstandingly, winner of the 1984 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, and It's In The Air, who captured the 1979 Alabama Stakes. Harbor View also bred Grade 1 winner and sire Sky Mesa.

Wolfson's brother, John Jacobs, died at the age of 89 last year. Like his father, he was a trainer, and conditioned 1970 Preakness Stakes winner Personality and 1970 Belmont Stakes winner High Echelon.

No services are planned, according to Steve Wolfson. His stepmother will be buried at Gate of Heaven cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.