A well-known figure in the world of horse racing, fox hunting and show jumping, Bert Firestone, died today in West Palm Beach at the age of 89.
The industrial real estate developer and his wife, Diana, collected seven of racing’s Eclipse Awards. And while they also had great success racing in Europe, they were best known for their ownership of Genuine Risk, only the second filly to win the Kentucky Derby.
They owned both the Calder racecourse and Gulfstream Park from 1989-1991. The farms they operated included Catoctin Stud in Waterford, Va., before buying Newstead Farm in Upperville, Va.
They hunted in Virginia with the Piedmont and Middleburg Hunts and were joint masters of the Kildare Foxhounds in Ireland. They also competed in show jumping.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Firestone, an honorary life trustee of the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation, is survived by his daughter, Alison, a show jumper who rode for the U.S., and a son, Matt., an eventer who did the same. Other survivors are sons Greg and Ted and three stepchildren, Lorna, Chris and Cricket.