'A true legend': Billy Turner, trainer of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, dies at 81

William “Billy” Turner, trainer of the 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, died of cancer on Friday (Dec. 31, 2021) in north Marion County at the age of 81.

The equine community in Marion County — the Horse Capital of the World — and far beyond is remembering Turner as a kind, caring and brilliant horseman who trained one of the best race horses in history.

Turner was born in Rochester, New York, in 1940 and began his career as a steeplechase jockey before becoming a trainer based in Belmont. Though he had 533 career wins with many horses at the time of his retirement in 2016, when he moved to a townhome at the Ocala Jockey Club in Reddick, he is best known for his racing feats achieved with thoroughbred Seattle Slew.

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Under Turner’s training, the horse won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 1977. He was the 10th horse to ever win the Triple Crown and the first to do so while still undefeated.

“The world of horse racing, as well as other equestrian disciplines with Seattle Slew in their bloodlines, owes much to Billy Turner's masterful guidance of Seattle Slew and his legacy,” a press release stated. “Billy, in his last days, got to experience a blanket of love and reminders of how much he meant to the world of racing, how much inspiration Seattle Slew provided to fans and those who started their careers because of this incredible colt and his trainer, and how many appreciated Billy’s horsemanship, humor and class.”

Remembering a horseracing icon and legend

Many took to social media to remember Turner’s training abilities and Seattle Slew’s historic run. Some explained that Turner had trained their horses, that they’d followed and bet on the horse’s Triple Crown victory or that they rode some of Seattle Slew’s offspring.

“He is one of nicest gentlemen that I have ever met,” Donald Coons wrote of Turner on the fundraiser page. “The horses always came first with him. The horse business needs more trainers like him.”

Others called him an icon, “an amazing horseman” and “a true legend.”

“Billy was a beloved part of his chosen career,” Jean Carroll wrote on the Ocala Jockey Club’s Facebook page. “He has left a hole in this community and in the hearts of all who knew him.”

Laura Hillenbrand, author of “Seabiscuit: An American Legend,” also posted a tribute to her Facebook page recalling her conversations with Turner.

“He was delightful, so full of wisdom and stories, and as the horses on his shed row stomped and nickered and neighed behind him, we talked on and on,” she wrote. “To a man who has been interviewed thousands of times, I was surely not memorable, but to me, speaking with Billy was the honor of a lifetime. I have never forgotten a moment of it.”

Hillenbrand added that Turner was “a brilliant and deeply caring horseman, and as kind a man as I ever met.”

Love, support and memories shared in his final days

Turner had been diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago, which later spread to his bones and most recently his lungs, as was discovered in a hospital visit in mid-December when he was experiencing significant shortness of breath.

After Pavla and Erik Nygaard sold the Ocala Jockey Club to the World Equestrian Center, which will remodel it for competitions as the World Equestrian Jockey Club, the Turners were able to stay for a few months before bouncing around between friends' homes and Airbnb rentals.

He moved to hospice care in a new home last week with an outlook to live a few more months, and a fundraiser organized by the Nygaards raised nearly $40,000 to help with moving costs and medical, hospice and future expenses.

By Thursday, the expectation changed to only a few days, and the cancer continued to spread in his lungs before his death on Friday.

Pavla Nygaard shared the update Friday evening and noted that “although Billy could no longer speak, he was fully aware of the love that you all expressed for him.”

“I can only believe that his final days were made better for all the love, support, memories of amazing days gone by,” she wrote, sharing that Turner's wife, Pat, had read 18 pages of messages Turner’s friends and fans has left on social media and the GoFundMe page.

Pat Turner said in a statement that he passed away peacefully at home.

“I want to take a moment to thank every person who contributed to his physical care and lifting him up in your thoughts and prayers,” she stated. “I was able to read him all the emails sharing your kindness and admiration of him. It meant a great deal to me to be able to let him know how loved he was in his last moments.”

Turner will share details on plans for a memorial service when available.

Contact reporter Danielle Johnson at djohnson@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Triple Crown horse trainer Billy Turner dies at north Marion home