Longtime Massachusetts Trainer Duffy Jr. Dies at 83
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Photo: Courtesy Duffy Family
Arthur A. Duffy, Jr.
Arthur A. Duffy, Jr., a longtime trainer on the old New England circuit, died June 7 after a long illness at his Revere, Mass. home surrounded by his family. He was 83.
Duffy, who conditioned horses for more than 50 years, was the son of the late Arthur Duffy but was known on the racetrack as Arthur Sr. because his son, who was also a trainer on the same circuit for five decades, was called Arthur Duffy, Jr.
"Arthur Duffy, Sr. was an iconic horseman and indeed representative of New England Thoroughbred racing. He was one of the first trainers to give girl jockeys a fair shake," Debbie Ann Riemers-Downing, a rider at Rockingham Park in the 1980s, posted on Facebook.
Duffy, Sr. saddled 3,256 horses and recorded 427 wins, 480 seconds, and 452 thirds with purse earnings of $2,575,020 from 1976 to 2006, according to Equibase statistics, and was a multiple stakes winner. In addition to Rockingham and Suffolk Downs, his horses ran in Maryland at Laurel Park and Bowie Racecourse.
His best horse was Stylish Sultan, a Massachusetts-bred who won 10 stakes at Suffolk Downs between 2001-04 and was voted the 2003 Cliff Sundberg Memorial Award for a New England-bred and the 2002 Special Achievement Award by the New England Turf Writers Association.
Duffy was a longtime New England trainer who made his mark at local tracks including Suffolk Downs
Born in Revere, Mass, Duffy grew up in the shadow of Suffolk Downs and was a lifelong resident of the city. After the death of his father, he ran the family business, Duffy Oil Company, while still continuing to train his stable of horses.
He was the husband of the late Frances "Chickie" Duffy and is survived by their four children, Elizabeth Lezell, Arthur Duffy, Wayne Duffy, and Joseph Duffy; six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
At the family's request, services are private.