Edward L. Bowen: Pillar of the Turf

Edward L. Bowen passed away earlier this year. It was a shock to the horse racing community. 

Ed was an icon in the sport he loved for over a half century. He wore many hats. Let’s start with journalist, historian, and prolific author of 22 books pertaining to the history of our great sport. How about Editor-In-Chief of BloodHorse magazine, and finally, heading the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation for 24 years. 

On Friday morning Aug. 1, Ed Bowen will be enshrined as a Pillar of the Turf at the Hall of Fame ceremony in the Fasig-Tipton Pavilion. He will join a select club of horse racing’s most revered figures. It is safe to say that Ed was personal friends with a share of them. I was lucky enough to have this great gentleman as a friend and mentor for a good portion of my writing career. I would send every article that I wrote to him for his approval. To have the former editor-in-chief of BloodHorse magazine as my go-to guy was a great privilege that I will forever cherish. 

During the Summer of 2021, I asked Ed if he would sit for an interview. To my delight, he agreed. The following remarks are an encapsulation of the more important subjects that we discussed. 

Ed’s journey began as a teenager in South Florida. As a young lad, he followed the career of the great champion Nashua. The Belair runner’s exploits on the track fascinated him. Ed became enthralled with the glamour and excitement of “the sport of kings.” During his college years, he worked as a groom at Monmouth Park. At the time, he was pursuing his degree in journalism at the University of Florida. He applied for a job at BloodHorse magazine and was accepted. Ed then transferred his studies to the University of Kentucky to be in close proximity to his new employer. He stated, “I was, and have always remained, thankful and aware that so many things fell into place, and that so many people who didn’t know me took a chance on me.” 

I asked Ed which of his numerous books he considered his best. He answered it this way: “Back in the days of my developing interest, the three-year-old campaign of Nashua really had sealed the deal for the love of the sport. To be able to write a book about him nearly fifty years later made the cliche ‘labor of love’ a statement of fact.” 

I also asked Ed this one. His response is insightful. The three greatest American thoroughbreds in nearly every poll conducted have Man o’ War, Secretariat, and Citation leading the list. Does any racehorse that you have witnessed compare with them? “I have no quarrel with those three having pride of place,” Ed responded, “but I wish that Kelso would be recognized more widely as joining them to create a ‘big four.’ It is instructive of the many ways greatness in a Thoroughbred is summoned and expressed that each of those horses did things the others didn’t. Yet, I have yet to see any one racehorse have what I regard as a perfect career.” 

You are an expert on the history of the breeding of thoroughbred racehorses. Is there one stallion that stands out to you as the sports greatest sire? “In terms of lasting influence still with us I would have to say, Phalaris because his legacy entails all the riches in the male-line descent from both Nearco and Native Dancer. That gives you Nasrullah, Bold Ruler, Northern Dancer, Galileo, Royal Charger, as well as Raise A Native, Mr. Prospector, etc. To focus on a more recent stallion and his influence in just a few generations, I lean towards Northern Dancer. He seems a distant figure in some ways, and yet he was close up (grandsire) in the pedigree of the contemporary Galileo.” 

I inquired as to Ed’s opinion of both Keeneland and Saratoga and what made them so special. Here is his response…pure magic! “That leads me to an interesting aside. I remember once reading an interesting interview featuring the late Louis Lee Haggin II, whose career was wrapped up in Keeneland in a most personal way. He told the questioner that he could not quite put his finger on what makes Keeneland so special. I thought, ‘Well, if he can’t do it after living and breathing Keeneland all his career, the pressure is surely off the rest of us!’ The best I can do is pay tribute to Keeneland’s combinations: Social and business prominence within a relatively small population and a pastoral setting perfect to showcase the beautiful and sporting brushstrokes on the canvas of the turf. As for Saratoga, similar physical beauty is a part of its hallmark, as are the annual meetings, long history, and prevalent quality of racing. These are augmented by the ability within the human spirit to find elegance and comfort in creations whose history predates ourselves. Every year I go to Saratoga, my first glimpse of the roofline of the old stands clicks me into a unique and proper mood.” 

There was so much more of interest discussed in our conversation; these are only the highlights (the entire interview can be found on Saratoga TODAY’s website). 

Ed Bowen has left us. Yet, he lives on through his numerous friendships, countless acquaintances and admirers, along with a trove of superb books that will outlive us all. In a hereafter, it would be appropriate that the racing gods would be there to welcome Ed with open arms. 

It’s 1955 again.The winter racing meet at fabulous Hialeah Park is in full swing. It’s Flamingo Stakes day. The gods have reserved a front row box seat for Ed to witness the brilliant champion Nashua—the horse that he adored as a youngster growing up in South Florida—romp home in Hialeah’s signature race. Wouldn’t that be a well-deserved entrance to the heavens for Edward L. Bowen, Pillar of the Turf?