1st place multi-award winning coach Howard (Howie) Tesher died on January 19 at the Majestic Memory Center in Hollywood, Fla. He is 87 years old. His niece, Jodie David, told TDN that Tesher spent the last five years of her life battling memory loss and eventually died of pneumonia.
A native of South Florida and a graduate of the University of Florida, Tesher withdrew his coach license in 1961 and won his first win in 1962 with Weeper’s Boy at the Suffolk Downs.
Equibase data shows 1,302 wins with career earnings of $31,247,483 for Tesher. He has trained seven 1st grade winners, among them the standout Influent and Lieutenant as well as 1st class winners Andover Way and Weber City Miss. The latter two became stars in the barn, with Andover Way becoming the dam of influential gentleman Dynaformer and Weber City Missed the dam of two-time tier 1 winner Slew City Slew, best known as the gentleman of the Hall of Famer Lava Man.
After more than five decades of training, Tesher got his last start in 2014. In the last years of his life, he joined as an analyst on a New York TV show about off-the-shelf betting.
Howie Tesher (left) with the 1979 Darby Creek Road classified bet winner at Saratoga Racecourse
A colorful personality and a favorite on the track, many of the sport’s top figures have spoken out about Tesher’s departure, including former equestrian champion Richard Migliore, who drove the Bolshoi Boy to victory. won the Illinois Derby (G3) in 1986.
“I am saddened to hear of Howie Tesher’s passing,” Migliore, now a racing analyst on XBTV, wrote on Twitter. “He’s such a wonderful person that I’ve had so many good times from riding Make the Magic to Bolshoi Boy winning the Illinois Derby to Max’s hot dogs nearby. Monmouth Park. A special person. One of the nicest people lucky enough to know him.”
Bolshoi Boy, Sovereign Dancer’s half-Florida son, is Tesher’s biggest earner with a bank account of $1,039,542. Hardcore Gelding landed 16 of his 56 career starts for Tesher, including four graded bet wins.
The Donna brothers and Caton Bredar were two other prominent racing media personalities who commented on Tesher’s death.
“May you rest in peace Howie Tesher,” Brothers wrote on her social media. “You were my good friend when I needed it—always available with a great joke, warm smile, philosophical point of view and/or a hug. I will always love and miss you.”
“Howie Tesher is the real one,” Bredar posted on his Twitter page. “What a warm wonderful person. Back in the day, he caused outrage when he crossed racial lines when he brought a woman of color to the training ground in Chicago. He was one of the first coaches. I met when I was first working in New York and was always one of the Good People.”
