Walter Haefner (13 September 1910 – 19 June 2012) was a Swiss businessman and a

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 owner and breeder in Ireland. As a young man Haefner went to work in the auto industry as an employee of the Swiss division of

General Motors Corporation The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

. He eventually moved to England where he acquired an automobile franchise before returning home to open a

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

dealership. Recognizing the important role a computer could play in his growing chain of dealerships, in 1957 Haefner became one of the first in Switzerland to import an IBM system for business use. This led to his 1964 creation of Automation Center A.G., a computer services company in Zurich. In 1976 he expanded operations to the US and, after merging his company with

Russell Artzt Russell M. Artzt (borJanuary 23, 1947 is an American businessesman and software developer. He co-founded Computer Associates (now CA Technologies CA Technologies, formerly known as CA, Inc. and Computer Associates International, Inc., is an Ame ...

's and

Charles Wang Charles B. Wang (; August 19, 1944 – October 21, 2018) was a Chinese-American businessman and philanthropist, who was a co-founder and CEO of Computer Associates International, Inc. (later renamed CA Technologies). He was a minority owner (and ...

's publicly owned software company, Computer Associates International, Inc., in 1987, Haefner was CA's largest individual shareholder until his death. He continued to own

AMAG Automobil- und Motoren AMAG Group Ltd is a Swiss corporate group primarily active in the automotive trade. Since September 2019, the administration of the entire AMAG group has been based in Cham in the canton of Zug after relocating from Utoquai 49 in Zurich, where t ...

, a highly successful Swiss automobile dealership chain. Until his death, at age 101, he was the oldest person worth more than a billion dollars.

Moyglare Stud Farm

In 1962 Haefner purchased the Moyglare Stud Farm near the town of Maynooth,

County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...

, Ireland. His

racehorses Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

have won numerous

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

and

British Classic Races The British Classics are five long-standing Group 1 horse races run during the traditional flat racing season. They are restricted to three-year-old horses and traditionally represent the pinnacle of achievement for racehorses against their own ...

in England, Ireland, and France as well as important races at other venues in Europe, North America, Japan, Australia, and Hong Kong. In the United States Moyglare's racing stable was handled by trainer Christophe Clement while

Dermot K. Weld Dermot K. Weld (born 29 July 1948), a former jockey is one of Ireland's most successful racehorse trainers. He holds the record for the most winners trained in Ireland (2,578 set in August 2000). Weld maintains his stable, Rosewell House, in ...

is the trainer in charge of its European operations. In 1991 Weld became the first European-based trainer to win a race in Hong Kong when Moyglare's colt Additional Risk won the Hong Kong Invitational Bowl at Sha Tin Racecourse. In 1975 the

Curragh Racecourse The Curragh Racecourse -- usually referred to as simply the Curragh -- is one of Ireland's most important Thoroughbred racecourses. It is situated on the Curragh plain in County Kildare, between the towns of Newbridge and Kildare. History T ...

honored Moyglare's contribution to Irish racing by naming a Group I race the Moyglare Stud Stakes. In 1988

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

awarded Haefner an

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

doctorate for his services to the Irish bloodstock industry and for his contributions to education in Ireland. Selective major race wins by some of the horses owned or bred by Moyglare Stud Farm: * Additional Risk - Hong Kong Bowl *

Again Tomorrow Again may refer to: Entertainment * ''Again'' (video game), a 2009 adventure game for the Nintendo DS * ''Again!!'' manga * ''Again!'', a 2011 children's book by Emily Gravett * ''Again'' (film), a 2015 Japanese film Music * Again (band), a ...

Premio Parioli The Premio Parioli is a Group 3 flat horse race in Italy open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at Capannelle in April. It is Italy's equivalent of the 2000 Gui ...

* Assert - Prix du Jockey Club,

Irish Derby Stakes The Irish Derby (Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 ...

Bikala Bikala (12 March 1978 – 25 December 1994) was an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Having been bought very cheaply as a yearling he developed into a top-class middle-distance performer and was rated among the best ...

- Prix du Jockey Club, Prix Ganay *

Brief Truce Brief Truce (8 May 1989 – 14 August 2018) was an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After winning his only race as a juvenile in 1991 he improved in the spring of the following year to finish third in the Irish 2,00 ...

St. James's Palace Stakes The St James's Palace Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs and 213 yards (1,603 metres). It is sched ...

* Carwhite - Prix d'Ispahan *

Dance Design Dance Design (foaled 18 February 1993) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She competed in five different countries and won seven times from nineteen starts in a track career which lasted from August 1995 to November 1998. She sh ...

Irish Oaks The Irish Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres), and it is s ...

, Pretty Polly Stakes (2), Tattersalls Gold Cup * Definite Article - Tattersalls Gold Cup,

National Stakes The Vincent O'Brien National Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres ...

* Dress To Thrill - Matriarch Stakes, Matron Stakes,

Sun Chariot Stakes The Sun Chariot Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

* Go And Go -

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

* Market Booster - Pretty Polly Stakes,

Bayerisches Zuchtrennen The Bayerisches Zuchtrennen is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Munich over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and it is scheduled to take place each year on the last Sun ...

* Media Puzzle - Melbourne Cup *

Refuse To Bend Refuse To Bend (17 March 2000 – 10 February 2012) was a Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background Refuse To Bend was a bay horse with a white star and white socks on his hind legs bred by his owner the Swiss businessman Walter Haefner ...

2,000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown P ...

, Queen Anne Stakes *

Relaxed Gesture Relaxed Gesture (foaled March 12, 2001 in Ireland) was a thoroughbred racehorse known for winning the $2 million Canadian International Stakes in 2005. A chestnut stallion, he was bred and raced by Walter Haefner's Moyglare Stud Farm. Out of ...

Canadian International Stakes The Canadian International Stakes is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and up on Turf. It is held annually in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The current purse is Since its creation i ...

Stanerra Stanerra (foaled 4 May 1978) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Unraced at two, she ran twice a three-year-old before showing improved form in 1982 when she won one race and was placed in several good middle-distance races. She ...

Japan Cup The is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about miles) run under weight for age conditions with ...

* Trusted Partner -

Irish 1,000 Guineas The Irish 1,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to ...

Twilight Agenda Twilight is light produced by sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere, when the Sun is below the horizon, which illuminates the lower atmosphere and the Earth's surface. The word twilight can also refer to the periods of time when this ...

- won

Meadowlands Cup The Monmouth Cup Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-years-old and older run over a distance of miles annually in early July at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey. The event currently offers a purse of $400,000 ...

San Pasqual Handicap The San Pasqual Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The Grade II event is open to horses, age four and up, willing to race one and one-eighth miles (9 furlongs) on ...

Del Mar Breeders' Cup Mile The Del Mar Mile Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years and older run over a distance of one mile on the turf held annually in August at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The event currently car ...

. Career earnings of US$2,177,843

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haefner, Walter 1910 births 2012 deaths Swiss businesspeople Irish racehorse owners and breeders Swiss philanthropists Swiss centenarians Swiss billionaires 20th-century philanthropists Men centenarians

Moyglare Stud Farm

See also

References