Martin J. Wygod, one of the thoroughbred racing community’s most prominent owners, breeders and supporters, passed away on April 12 in California. He was 84 years old.
Wygod was born in New York City, where he was first introduced to the thoroughbred industry as a hotwalker at Belmont Park. He attended high school with Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel and worked as a hotwalker at age 15 for trainers Woody Stephens and Homer Pardue.
After graduating from New York University, he began his business career with the late Fletcher Jones’ Computer Science. Jones, who founded Westerly Stud in California’s Santa Ynez Valley, not far from where Wygod would establish River Edge Ranch, gave Wygod his first two horses, both winners.
Through hard work, acumen and dedication, he has reached the pinnacle of success both in his business career and in the world of thoroughbred breeding and racing. He was the youngest managing partner of a brokerage firm on the New York Stock Exchange in the 1960s and then Wygod entered the home health services industry with Glasrock Medical Services. Over a 10-year period, he built Medco Containment Services into the nation’s largest mail-order prescription drug company. In 1993, he sold Medco to pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. for 6.5 billion USD. Wygod later served as chairman of the board of directors of WebMD, a leading provider of health information services to consumers, physicians, health care professionals, employers, and insurance plans. health hazard.
Wygod and his wife, Pamela, have bred, owned and raced thoroughbreds for more than 50 years. Their top horses include 2-year-old champion 2004 Eclipse. Sweet catomine and many students won first grade prizes Life is sweet both are produced from domestic mares Sweet life; and brilliant racehorses Quiet Lake And Exotic wood. The Wygods mares in turn became the foundation mares of one of the most influential stallion bands in the country.
The Wygods owned River Edge Ranch near Buellton, California, for 35 years and raised mares and colts to become top racehorses and then returned to the stud and breeding stables. Their highly successful breeding operation moved to Kentucky in 2010, where they raise mares, fillies and yearlings at Lane’s End. The Wygod family’s breeding program is represented on the Triple Crown trail this year by the colt resilience , recent winner of the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2). Resilience, created by into mischief produced by mares sweet meadow winning daughter of Tranquility Lake.
Resilience is run by the Wygods’ daughter, Emily Bushnell, and consultant and longtime blood friend Ric Waldman, who started with the Wygods about 30 years ago when he was working for the Ranch Overbrook by WT Young.
“I consider him one of my closest friends. In recent years we have grown even closer and I am so glad to have had that friendship. I cannot say enough about him because I I have very strong feelings for that man.” Waldman said.
“We had great conversations and I loved exchanging ideas,” he continued. “I hope I can get his mind working on different theories or breeding ideas about race management, but he also stimulates my spirit. He respects what I say But he wasn’t afraid to challenge it, so I had to do the same.” Can certainly defend that. He’s not one to tolerate BS, so we shared the comfort of talking frankly with each other. I want him to ask questions, I want him to challenge it or just accept it. He accepted it, which told me I was right.”
Wygod is remembered for his devotion to his family—daughter Emily and son Max, his compassion and loyalty to those around him, and his commitment to motorsports.
“Marty was a great friend of Lane’s End and a great friend of my father’s for a long time,” Bill Farish of Lane’s End recalled, noting that his father W.S. most involved in the development of stallions, e.g Rotating candy . “I don’t know if you can put a finger on their success, but they have perseverance (as owners/breeders). They’ve been there year after year and never wavered in his passion for the sport. He loved all aspects, he loved debate and discussion, and he had strong opinions determination, and I respect that about him.”
Privately and in partnership, Wygods has produced 124 stakes winners including 32 graded stakes winners, of which 15 were grade 1 winners. Wygods has campaigned 21 winners among their graded stakes as the house, led by level 1 winners After the market , Harmony , Idiot proof , KeyphraseLife is so sweet, Pirates revenge, Private persuasion, Silent sighsSweet Catomine, and Flagging.
Resilience won the Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct Raceway
“Out of the blue, he gave Resilience to Emily and me,” Waldman said. He gave away his best horse and knew it was his best horse.” “I feel like I’m the manager of this horse for him and will always feel that way. (Marty) will be there with us. He’s been the secret weapon that’s helped us get this far. We talked many times during the day about Resilience planning and what to do with him after the Resurrection Star. He’s going on this flight with us.”
