Wayne Spalding Loses Battle with Cancer, Dies at 56

Longtime Thoroughbred owner Wayne Spalding passed away March 17 at age 56, following a long battle with cancer.

Along with his childhood best friend Faron McCubbins, Spalding is best known as the owner of the grade 1-winning turf horse Bullards Alley . Spalding purchased the gelding from the Fasig-Tipton Summer Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale in 2014, paying $11,000 for the son of Flower Alley .

Over the next four years, the bargain-priced Bullards Alley would take his owners on a thrilling ride through multiple graded stakes victories and even a trip to the Breeders' Cup World Championships in 2017. Bullards Alley won the Pattison Canadian International Stakes (G1T) at odds of 42-1 by a record-setting 10 3/4 lengths earlier that year, and finished sixth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) at Del Mar.

"It just blew my mind," Spalding told Woodbine publicity after Bullards' romp in the Canadian International. "I never believed he would run that good, but he's got the heart to do it, he just hasn't got a break here lately and he finally got one."

Bullards Alley won six of 40 career starts and had three stakes wins, earning $928,622. The gelding had to be euthanized in 2018 when he suffered a hind leg fracture during the running of the Dixiana Elkhorn Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland.

Among Spalding's other top horses were six-figure earners Fun Paddy , Dark Arden , and Lilleandra .

"Wayne would do anything to help someone out," said Spalding's longtime trainer and friend, Tim Glyshaw. "I will always be thankful for the memories of his horse Bullards Alley winning the Canadian International by 10-plus lengths. We lost a great owner."