NEWS
Owner, breeder Winchell dies at 87
Posted: Wednesday, November 27, 2002
Longtime owner and breeder Verne H. Winchell, who enjoyed nearly 40 years of success in the racing industry, died on Tuesday after suffering a fatal heart attack at his home in Las Vegas. Winchell was 87.The founder of the Winchell Donut chain and nicknamed "The Donut King," Winchell campaigned more than 40 stakes winners, including champions Mira Femme and Tight Spot. He named the first Thoroughbred he purchased at public auction after himself and the talented colt Donut King eventually was one of the early favorites for the Kentucky Derby before an injury knocked him out of the classics.
Winchell, who also had a longtime association with Racing Hall of Fame conditioner Ron McAnally, campaigned major stakes winners Olympio, Sea Cadet, Classic Go Go, Valiant Nature, Call Now, Amerique, On Target, Future Quest, and Mr. Eiffel.
"He was good for the game," McAnally said. "He was probably one of the oldest guys in the game."
Winchell first gained prominence in the early 1960s with Donut King, a son of Determine who won the '61 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park and finished third in the '62 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.
"That was our first good horse," McAnally said "That was the best chance I had of winning the Derby. That year [trainer Horatio] Luro won it with Decidedly. Donut King ran with Decidedly twice before the Derby and he beat him way off. I know that would have been our best chance."
Born in Bloomington, Illinois, Winchell and his family moved to Southern California when he was nine. Winchell started his doughnut business in 1948 near Santa Anita Park. In 1968, Winchell merged his chain of then-400 doughnut shops with Denny's restaurants and went public. He served as chairman of Denny's from 1972 to '80 prior to his retirement. He sold his interests in the company in 1984 for more than $600-million.
Winchell used his connections in the show business community to purchase his first horse in 1939 and acquired Ronnie's Baby, who was bred by then-actor Ronald Reagan, owned by Desi Arnaz, and trained by Buster Millerick.
Winchell's first champion was Mira Femme, a daughter of *Dumpty Humpty who was named champion two-year-old filly in 1966. She won six of ten starts that season, including the Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes at Arlington Park and Hollywood Lassie Stakes at Hollywood Park.
Tight Spot, a homebred son of His Majesty campaigned by Winchell's VHW Stables and later in partnership, won 12 of 21 career starts and earned $1,566,100. He was named champion turf male in 1991 after wins in the Arlington Million (G1) and Eddie Read Handicap (G1) at Del Mar.
Winchell and McAnally had both Sea Cadet and Olympio on the 1991 Triple Crown trail. Sea Cadet, a son of Bolger bred in partnership with Katalpa Farm, finished eighth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and later went on to win three Grade 1 events. Olympio won the Arkansas Derby (G2), skipped the Kentucky Derby, and finished fourth in the Preakness Stakes (G1).
