William Colin Winfrey (May 9, 1916 – April 14, 1994) was an American

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...

. Bill Winfrey was born Colin Dickard. His father died when he was three, and two years later his mother married Hall-of-Fame trainer G. Carey Winfrey. He was officially adopted and took Winfrey's last name. At age 15, he became a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

, but weight gain forced him to turn to training. In 1932, he became the youngest licensed trainer in the United States. His career was interrupted by service with the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He retired after the 1969 season, but returned to training for two more years in 1977 and 1978. During his career, Bill Winfrey trained 38 stakes winners, including seven champions, of which three were inducted in the U. S. Racing Hall of Fame. The most noted of them was two-time

American Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to sanction the various awards, "Hor ...

Native Dancer Native Dancer (March 27, 1950 – November 16, 1967), nicknamed the ''Gray Ghost'', was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in American history and was the first horse made famous through the medium of television. ...

. Winfrey was inducted into the United States'

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

in 1971. A resident of

San Clemente, California San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement") is a city in Orange County, California. Located in the Orange Coast region of the South Coast of California, San Clemente's population was 64,293 in at the 2020 census. Situated roughly midway betwee ...

, he died in

Lake Forest, California Lake Forest is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 85,858 at the 2020 census. Lake Forest incorporated as a city on December 20, 1991. Prior to incorporation, the community had been known as El Toro. Following a vote in 20 ...

, at age 77 of complications from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

. His son,

Carey Winfrey Carey Winfrey is an American journalist. He was the founding editor of ''Memories'' magazine and the former editor-in-chief of ''Cuisine'', ''American Health'' and ''Smithsonian'' magazines. Biography Winfrey is the son of American Hall of F ...

, was a journalist and editor who served as the editor-in-chief of the ''Smithsonian'' magazine from 2001 to 2011 as well as the editor-in-chief of ''Cuisine'' and ''American Health'' magazines.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winfrey, William C. 1916 births 1994 deaths Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Deaths from dementia in California United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II United States Marines American racehorse trainers United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Detroit People from San Clemente, California American jockeys