Owner/Breeder James Coulter Dies at 71

Owner/breeder James Coulter, who campaigned graded stakes winner and 2014 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) starter Sugar Shock, passed away March 20 at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Ill., north of Chicago. He was 71.

Coulter and his wife, Helen, owned and bred Thoroughbreds for 15 years. They boarded their mares at Vinery and later moved them to Castleton Lyons. While Coulter's love for speed was initially satisfied building and racing stock cars, he was drawn to Thoroughbreds after being invited to attend an auction by a friend of Helen's parents who was also an outrider at Arlington International Racecourse. Within a year, they owned five horses.

Sugar Shock, who was purchased by Cathy Anderson for $20,000 at the 2012 Keeneland September yearling sale, was his best runner. He campaigned the daughter of Candy Ride  with partners Warren Bush, Aaron Kennedy, and trainer Doug Anderson. Sugar Shock won the Fantasy Stakes (G3), American Beauty Stakes, and Panthers Stakes, and was disqualified to second in the Honeybee Stakes (G3) due to interference.

The filly started in the Kentucky Oaks and led for the first half mile before fading and finishing unplaced. She won five of 16 starts and earned $475,619. The partners sold her for $360,000 to Katsumi Yoshida at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton November sale. Sugar Shock has since been bred twice to Deep Impact.

Coulter is a native of Maryville, Tenn., and had lived in Gurnee, Ill., since 1979 where he was the owner of Coulter's Construction, which built primarily homes and apartments. He is survived by Helen, his wife of 50 years; son, Thomas James Coulter; granddaughter Ellen Schroth; siblings, Mike Coulter, Terri Larson, and Chuck Miller.