Lifelong Horseman Kassen Dies at 81

Dave Kassen, a lifelong horseman who was first a jockey and later became a successful trainer, died Dec. 27 at his home in Lake Placid, N.Y. He was 81.

Born in Cincinnati in 1939, Kassen was drawn to his local racetrack, River Downs, as a teenager. After graduating from Anderson High School in 1958, he became a jockey for 12 years, rising up the ranks. He won the 1969 Kentucky Oaks on Hail to Patsy and a year later rode longshot Needles n Pens to a runner-up finish in the 1970 Belmont Stakes.

"Right after that I got out,'' Kassen told Neil Milbert of the Chicago Tribune in 1987 of ending his riding career. ''I quit the following May. I was a jockey one day and a trainer the next. I had thought about training before I thought about riding, and I knew it was time to call it quits.

''Weight was one thing that influenced my decision. The other was trainers blaming the owners when they took me off horses I had been riding and put on somebody with a bigger name.

''I realized you can train a long time, but you can only ride for so long.''

His training career was indeed lengthier, beginning in 1971 and continuing through this year. His last starter was Nobodyknowsnothin, who ran fifth in a maiden claiming race at Gulfstream Park July 8. Kassen, who often competed in Illinois, Kentucky, and Florida, also owned horses.

He won 927 races and $17.3 million as a trainer, conditioning graded stakes winners Nikki's Sandcastle, Jack Slade, Avies Copy, Header Card, Scooter Roach, Cad, Shot Gun Bonnie, and Lisa M. Avies Copy also took Kassen back to the Triple Crown, where the horse ran third in the 1987 Kentucky Derby (G1).

In 1983 Kassen married his wife, Bonnie, and together they raised a daughter, Jacqueline Belknap. 

Outside of racing, he enjoyed woodworking, golfing, and listening to his favorite music. Remembered for his character and integrity, he was also determined and stubborn, traits that endearingly earned him the nickname "Concrete." Remembrances of Kassen have been posted on social media.

"As a trainer I'll remember his work with Jack Slade," broadcaster Caton Bredar tweeted. "As a person, his very dry sense of humor, his skills on the links and the way his eyes lit up when talking about or being around his daughter. Good friend of my father's, good horseman who will be missed. RIP 'Concrete' Kassen."

Kassen was preceded in death by his father, Albert, his mother, Evelyn, and his brother, Doug. He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline (James), his brothers Glenn (Linda), Barry and Jan (Lisa), and several nieces and nephews.

A celebration of his life will be held in the spring of 2021 in Louisville, Ky., on a date to be determined.

The M. B. Clark Funeral Home in Lake Placid is handling arrangements and relatives and friends are invited to share a memory, upload a photograph, or leave condolences online.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Thoroughbred Charities of America and the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.