by Pete Denk

Prominent Thoroughbred breeder Bertram Linder, a Saratoga yearling sale fixture for 50 years, died in his Manhattan, New York, home on October 7 at age 93 following a battle with cancer.

Linder owned Hickory Hill Farm in Dalton, Pennsylvania, and was a pioneer of commercial breeding in that state.

A colorful character and decorated World War II veteran, Linder was known for his prized broodmare band and the great horses that emerged from the female families he cultivated, such as Horse of the Year Point Given and two-time champion Go for Wand.

“When the Saratoga sale was at its greatest strength in the '70s and '80s, Bert Linder and Hickory Hill Farm were an important part of that success,” said Terence Collier, Fasig-Tipton’s director of marketing and a longtime friend of Linder. “Bert was a wonderful man. He and his wife, Mary Ellen, were fixtures at Saratoga and they have been missed. Bert was a great philanthropist and a fascinating character.

“He started to get out of the business about ten years ago and wound it down gradually. He was a great breeder, awfully proud of his fillies in particular.”

Bill Sanborn boarded horses for Linder for more than 20 years at various farms, including Sanborn Chase Farm in Nicholasville, Kentucky.

“Bert owned some great mares, and he loved breeding horses, and he loved the sales,” Sanborn said from the Keeneland November breeding stock sale on Thursday. “Saratoga was his spot. In the '80s, he had a barn at Saratoga where they literally let him lock the door and come back the next year, and everything would still be there. He was really good for the industry, a true character of the business.”

Linder bred the Tim Tam mare Tamerett to Secretariat and sold her in foal to Dr. William O. Reed. The resulting foal was Secrettame, who later produced Grade 1 winner and influential sire Gone West. Tamerett also produced English champion miler and sire Known Fact

Turbo Launch, grandam of 2001 Horse of the Year Point Given, was a member of Linder’s broodmare band as was Shakney, grandam of Canadian Horse of the Year and leading sire Deputy Minister.

Among others, Linder also bred multiple Grade 1 winner Optimistic Gal, Grade 2 winner and sire Southern Rhythm, and multiple stakes winner Obeah, dam of two-time champion Go For Wand and Grade 2 winners Discorama and Dance Spell.

Linder co-bred Group 1 winner Great Palm and First Mirage, dam of Grade 1 winners Missy’s Mirage and Classy Mirage.

Sanborn said Linder was a great story teller.

“He told me a story about the first mare he ever bought. This was just after World War II,” Sanborn said. “He weaned her, and a friend of his told him he had to go out to the field everyday and milk her out. Bill said he didn’t know what to do, but he grabbed his stool and his army helmet and went out to milk that mare. He was wearing the helmet because he didn’t want to get kicked in the head. He had no idea what was going to happen.

“Weeks later, he saw his buddy again and said, ‘This is getting ridiculous. This mare hasn’t dried up yet.’ His friend asked him what he was doing, and Bill said, ‘Well, I’m milking her for 30 to 40 minutes twice or three times a day.’ His friend laughed and told him you just do it a little bit for a few days.”

Sanborn stayed in touch with Linder, and Sanborn’s wife, Sandy, often called Linder to give him racing updates.

“Anytime anything ran that was related to one of his families, Sandy would get on the computer and give him a call,” Bill Sanborn said. “[Linder] was so tickled with that, because at that point his eyes were failing him, so it was hard for him to read or see anything. He was interested in any racing and breeding news. He just liked talking about horses, especially if it was something he had bred or had a member of the family.”

Pete Denk is sales editor of Thoroughbred Times