Stravinsky breeder and racecourse owner RD Hubbard dies aged 84

RD Hubbard, who bred European champion sprinter Stravinsky and raced Grade 1 winner Gentlemen, died on Wednesday aged 84.

He produced 31 black-type winners, including multiple Group 1 scorer Stravinsky, who won the 1999 July Cup and Nunthorpe Stakes for trainer Aidan O'Brien and was Cartier's champion sprinter.

Hubbard, who owned the second-largest glass manufacturer in the US, bred horses at Crystal Springs Farm, which he established in 1986 alongside Edward Sczesny. It relocated to New Mexico in 2007.

He also got into racecourse ownership and bought Ruidoso Downs in 1988 with his partner Edward Allred. They reconfigured the track and, after becoming the sole owner, Hubbard sold it in 2017.

"He started from absolutely nothing," his grandson Shaun Hubbard, who ran Ruidoso Downs for around seven years, told BloodHorse.

"He had an insatiable appetite for work. I've known successful people and I've known hard workers, and he was second to absolutely none. He worked hard and played harder. He'd have been the first to tell you a number of people were there along the way and some luck was on his side, but it's hard work that pays dividends."

Hubbard served on a number of industry boards and advocated for the formation of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. He also served as a director on the Breeders' Cup board, and hosted the 1997 Breeders' Cup Championships as owner of Hollywood Park.

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