10/26/2026
(Auburn, WA) Friday, October 23 Northwest Racing lost a giant when Hall of Fame trainer Howard Belvoir passed away from heart failure. Belvoir began his career in 1963 and just completed his 63rd season as a trainer this past September at Emerald Downs. Belvoir had been battlinbg health issues for a few years but never stopped training.
Over the past few years, Jennifer Whitaker his regular rider and all-time leading female jockey at Emerald Downs along with being the only female rider to win the Longacres Mile had taken over much of th day-to-day operations.
Belvoir is being remembered as a caring and trusted horseman who always had his horses well being as his first priority. He was a stickler for doing things right or as those close to him, his way.
When his son Vann began riding at Longacres, Vann said that he got into trouble one day when he didn’t let his horse run out as long as his Dad wanted after crossing the finish line. Vann said his Dad had his way and there were reasons for it.
We talked with current trainer and colleague of Howard, Tom Wenzel. Tom said he has known Howard for many years and had a ton of respect for him. Wenzel said, “you know for many years Bud Klokstad was kinda of the king of identifying good young horses and for good reason he had a ton of success. But Howard was really good at that too. When I decided to start buying horses at auction I studied Klokstad to see what he was looking at and how he went about his process. But I also studied Howard too. Howard had an incrdible eye for talent and has been proven with many of his talented runners.”
Wenzel said that Belvoir was a huge “team” player for many years. He said, that Belvoir was really good at having a large number of his runners ready to go at the beginning of the meet. For several years without Belvoir’s work and dedication it would have been difficult to field many of those races. “I know personally without Howard, many races over several years simply wouldn’t have been carded.
Wenzel said, Howard was a true horseman, knew what he was doing and just look at his record, he was successful while at the same time helped our industry and was also someone, whether you knew him well or not that you could go and ask questions and bounce idea’s off him. He was a huge presence that will be missed and it’s a sad day to know he will not be back.”
Below is the story written by Emerald Downs Media Director Vince Bruun. Followed by a spotlight story we did on Howard back in 2017. This covered his career and first two Longacres Mile Champions in Wasserman and Assessment but was before Barkley who won the 2018 Mile. We wrote a story on Barkley when he was retired from racing. During his time on the track, Emerald Downs had their own “Affirmed-Alydar” type of rivalry between Barkley and Mach One Rules. Barkley would go onto retire as a stud and has been a very productive stud over the past few year.
You can read our “Barkley, Heart of a Champion” story on this link.
Below our original spotlight story are Belvoir’s career stats, videos of all three Longacres mile wins and a photo gallery.
HOWARD BELVOIR (1944-2026)
Howard Belvoir, one of the greatest trainers in state history, died Friday at age 82 of heart failure.
Training mainly in Washington but also including stints in California, Oregon, and British Columbia, Belvoir won 2,192 races in a remarkable 63-year career that included induction into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame. Born in Iola, KS, and raised in Payette, Idaho, Belvoir learned racing from the ground up under trainers Roy and Troy Taylor before taking out his own license in 1963, a decision he never regretted.
“Racing is in my blood,” Belvoir said in 2018. “Once you get in you, you can never get it out of you.”
At Emerald Downs, Belvoir ranks near the top in every important category: third in wins (830), second in earnings ($9,514,704), sixth in stakes wins (49). His silks–red and black with a pirate emblem–are amongst the most familiar in Washington racing.
In 2008, homebred Wasserman won four stakes topped by a dramatic score in the $300,000 Longacres Mile (G3) to earn titles as Washington Horse of the Year and Emerald Downs Horse of the Meeting.
Wasserman’s victory in the Mile ranks among the top moments in track history with Jennifer Whitaker becoming the first and only woman jockey to win the race in its 91-year history. Belvoir and Whitaker would form one of the most successful teams in Washington racing history, combining for 322 wins through 2026.
Assessment and Barkley added the second and third victories to Belvoir’s Mile resume, winning in 2009 and 2018, respectively. In all, Belvoir campaigned three Emerald Downs Horses of the Meeting: Wasserman, (2008), Assessment (2009), and Dutton (2020).
But asked to name a favorite Belvoir often cited Red Eye Express as the horse most pivotal to his early training career. The venerable Oregon-bred won 22 of 68 starts and finished a close second in the 1974 Longacres Mile.
The Emerald Downs race office honored Belvoir with its 2010 Martin Durkan Award for sportsmanship and excellence on and off the track, and in 2013 Belvoir was recognized with the state’s top racing honor by being voted into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame. In his acceptance speech, Belvoir recognized owners, assistant trainers, exercise riders, grooms and hotwalkers for making it all possible.
“I’ve been fortunate and lucky to have a lot of good horses, but you’re only as good as your help,” he said. “That’s the truth.”
Seattles Best Joe, a $4,500 yearling, demonstrated Belvoir’s deft touch with young horses, banking over $150,000 including a stakes win at Santa Anita. In fact, Seattle’s Best Joe was one of six Belvoir juveniles named Washington champion 2-year-old colt or gelding: Sundance Circle (2003), Seattles Best Joe (2004), Immigration (2006), So Lucky (2016), Elliott Bay, (2017), Dutton (2020).
Belvoir worked with a slew of important clients throughout his career, a long list of influential business people and friends including Harley and Teresa Hoppe, Rising Star Stable, Lou Tice, Pegasus Too and Once Stable.
Belvoir is survived by longtime partner Vicki Potter and sons Heath, Clay and Vann, the latter a former Emerald Downs riding champion and currently a trainer in California.
Per Belvoir’s request, no services are planned. The family plans to honor him with a race at Emerald Downs in the 2027 season.
Emerald Downs Trainer Spotlight: Howard Belvoir from Red Eye Express to Barkley
6/21/17
(Auburn, WA) The Eli Sports Network is excited about our expanded coverage of Washington State Horse Racing at Emerald Downs this season. This will be the first of many spotlight profiles of not only trainers but owners, jockeys and other folks linked to the horse racing industry and not just the high-profile positions. So let’s kick this one off with a Washington State Hall of Fame trainer with 2 Longacres Mile Championships under his belt, Howard Belvoir.
The Early Years
Howard Belvoir was born in Kansas in 1944 but early his family moved to Payette, Idaho a small town in Southern Idaho near Boise. This would turn out to be the 1st domino of a series that would fall that led Belvoir into a lifetime of horse racing. His father would get it started and purchased a thoroughbred from Roy and Troy Taylor.
Belvoir then found himself picking up a summer job after school was out. Belvoir said his Dad did something he probably get in trouble for in this day and age and that was when he turned 13 packed him a bag, gave him a few dollars and put Howard on a bus and sent him to Portland to work for the Taylor’s at Portland Meadows. Belvoir would do this for the summer over the next several years until he graduated from High School in 1962. He began Community College but quickly knew what his future was and took out his 1st trainer’s license at Exhibition Park (now Hastings) in Vancouver BC in 1963.
His own Boss
Belvoir was calling his own shots now but even so you need some help and his came from a few early owners but credited Fred Foy for really launching his career not by filling his barn with a ton of horses but by introducing Belvoir to Harley Hoppe, who did fill Belvoir’s barn with horses for more than 40 years. Hoppe gained fame statewide when won election as the King County Assessor and a run at the Governor’s office that fell short.
Although Hoppe ran literally hundreds of horses with Belvoir it was Hoppe’s wife Teresa and her friend and wife of her husband’s business partner Patty True that really gave Belvoir credibility as a trainer who can bring a horse to the highest level in NW Racing when they entrusted him with a horse named Red Eye Express.
Belvoir can be described as someone who is somewhat stoic and laid back rarely over-praising any of his horses while also never overly critical. It’s a defense mechanism of not letting yourself get too high or low in the game that can change in a blink of an eye. But when we began to talk about “Red” you could see his posture change literally and a gleam in his eye and you could immediately feel how much “Red” meant to him.
Belvoir was at the Longacres sale and of course he went to all the sales looking for good deals for himself and for clients. It was this sale that Teresa Hoppe and Patty True had told Belvoir to find them a horse. That’s when he spotted a horse named Army Stamp. He was by Philately which is of course in reference to stamp collecting. Belvoir knew right away this was the one and he bid and got the horse for $1,800.
Hoppe and True were not fans of the name Army Stamp and for a fee of about $30 changed the name of the light brown gelding to Red Eye Express. Names in horse racing are important especially when it comes to fan favorites. There’s just something in a name that catches people’s attention especially when coupled with talent. Red Eye Express was one of those special combinations of talent and the right name, there is no proof but hard to think a horse named Army Stamp would have been as popular as Red Eye Express was with the fans.
Red Eye Express would start 68 times and win 22 (32%), 14 2nds and 6 thirds for a 62% career in the money placing. Red Eye Express was a sprinter and found most of his success around 1 turn and won 8 sprint Stakes races. He did run in the Longacres Mile twice finishing off the board in his first attempt in 1973 won by Silver Mallet but then nearly gave Belvoir his 1st Mile win just missing and finishing 2nd to Times Rush in 1974. Gary Baze was his regular rider and he and Red could not hold off the fast closing Times Rush who got up in time to win it.
Red Eye Express would earn more than $160,000 in his career highlighted with a win in the Governors Handicap and 2 wins in each the Speed and Space Needle Handicaps. The Oregon bred also won the Paso Robles and Renton Stakes along with that 2nd place finish in the Mile and runner up finishes in the Tanforan, Speed and Renton Handicaps. For Belvoir, Red Eye Express put him on the map as a serious trainer which would lead him to more and more clients establishing himself as one of the premier trainers in Washington State history.
As his client base grew he picked up horses for owners like Al Benton, Michael Alhadeff, Lou Tice and now the Rising Star Stable which is led by his long time significant other Vicki Potter. Belvoir had many other Stakes winners throughout the years winning for these owners, others and himself.
Belvoir would get to the Winners Circle in the top 2 races in the Northwest the Longacres Mile and the Derby. He won the Derby with Harley Hoppe when Mulcahy won it in 2007. He also got Hoppe a Stakes win with Immigration, Celtic Crown and Seattles Best Joe. He got Benton a Stakes win with Tusko T while appearing in pictures with the Once Stables (Michael Alhadeff) Table 15, Spite and Malice and Sundance Circle. Champagneandcaviar, Fooled Again, Courting Seattle, Crystals Double and He’s not Bluffin are other Stakes winners on Belvoir’s impressive resume. Battery Limits also won for Belvoir early on in his career at Longacres cementing him as a Stakes level conditioner when he won the then named Washington Championship which has been re-named the Muckleshoot Tribal Classic.
The one race that all NW trainers want in their win column is the prestigious Longacres Mile. Belvoir thought maybe his best chance to win the big race was back in 1974 with Red Eye Express. Then came Wasserman.
Wasserman, Assessment and Barkley
Belvoir would reach the pinnacle when he home bred a big strapping colt named Wasserman. Wasserman was named by Potter who picked the name to honor the physician who treated her for breast cancer which she remains cancer free. Wasserman was a big gangly horse that just got better with age and became a fan favorite much like Red Eye Express from early in Belvoir’s career. At 5-years-old he ran in the 2007 Mile and finished a respectable 3rd to “The Great Face” over a sloppy track.
Belvoir who bred, owned and trained Wasserman again aimed his big horse at the 2008 Mile as the local rooting interest. Wasserman’s running style was to take back and come running at the end. Most of his wins were not big drawn off wins but usually getting his big nose down just at the right time. In 2008 Wasserman remained a fan favorite but was not the betting favorite going off at a healthy 10-1. Regular Jockey Jennifer Whitaker was again aboard and trying to become the first woman jockey to ever win the Mile.
6-5 favorite Tropic Storm took the lead at the top of the stretch with 2nd favorite True Metropolitan closing fast while the big gangly Wasserman was just getting going and circled to the outside. Whitaker let him go and he came rolling up to the outside of True Metropolitan as both passed Tropic Storm and Wasserman got home first with stablemate Assessment running on late for 4th place.
The following year in 2009 Belvoir again would send out both Wasserman and Assessment in the Mile. This time Assessment would be the one flying on the outside to upset the favorites at 7-1 giving Belvoir his 2nd Mile win and 2nd in a row. Awesome Gem and Tiege would get the place and show money while defending Champ Wasserman would close from way outside to finish 4th as the 2 Belvoir entries flipped places from the previous year. Assessment was owned by Lou Tice. Emerald Downs’ all-time leading jockey Gallyn Mitchell rode Assessment to the upset victory.
Belvoir’s success has certainly not cooled off with Barkley bursting onto the scene owned by the
Rising Star Stable and it’s 20 shareholders. Barkley reeled off 6 straight wins including victories in the Auburn, Coca-Cola and Seattle Slew Handicaps before suffering his 1st career loss in the Emerald Derby by a head to Opportunistic. Barkley is off to a slower start this year with a 2nd place finish in an allowance race, winning the Governor’s Stakes and then finishing 4th this past Sunday in the Budweiser but ran well despite an extremely troubled trip.
Last year Belvoir led all trainers in Stakes wins with 7, 3 from Barkley and 3 from So Lucky while The Press also won one. So Lucky was very impressive as a 2-year-old but fell short in the season ending Gottstein Futurity, a race that has eluded Belvoir. So Lucky , owned by the Rising Star Stable and the Pegasus Too Stable, was 5-1 last season and was geared up for an exciting 3-year-old season but suffered some minor bumps and bruises so Belvoir has decided to turn So Lucky out and give him plenty of time to get back to being 100%.
The Future
Howard Belvoir has had a horse in the Winners Circle 2,071 times, has earned nearly 20-million dollars in purse winnings, is a member of the Washington Horse Racing Hall of Fame, has been awarded the Martin Durkin Award, was named small State Breeder and many other accolades. He has strong family support with 3 boys with his 1st wife Mary Taylor, Heath is a chart caller for Equibase, Vann was a successful jockey including Emerald downs’ first Jockey Champion and is now a trainer and Clay decided against making a living in the family biz and works for Boeing but remains firmly in the game as an owner.
The one thing that Belvoir would have truly liked to have won was a leading trainer title. It is difficult to believe Belvoir has not captured a Training Championship but this shows how extremely difficult it is to accomplish. He isn’t sure he has one in him at this point in his career now in his 54th year at the track. Belvoir just turned 73 and is starting to ease back on the sheer number of horses he’s had in the past. He’s not thinking of retirement he says racing is a lifestyle and although he may cut back he’ll never step away to sit around the house.
You won’t have to worry about not seeing Belvoir’s famous Black and Red silks with a Pirate on the back anytime soon. Belvoir designed his silks after his High School mascot the Payette Pirates. Besides he won’t have time to sit around if he keeps picking out horses like Red Eye Express, Barkley and So Lucky or breeds another Wasserman. The only question for Belvoir is which of his future horses will be the next fan favorite? He seems to have a knack for picking horses that fans can also relate too outside a betting voucher and that is a pretty special talent.
Howard Belvoir’s Biggest Wins
Wasserman wins the 2008 Longacres Mile
Assessment takes the 2009 Longacres Mile
Barkley Wins the 2018 Longacres Mile
You can read our “Barkley, Heart of a Champion” story on this link.
Belvoir’s Trainer Stats
Howard Belvoir
Best Racing Class Achieved
Multiple Graded Stakes Winning Trainer
Career Statistics
| Starts | Firsts | Seconds | Thirds | Earnings |
| 16,804 | 2,192 | 2,290 | 2,262 | $21,312,896 |
| Year | Starts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Earnings | Per Start | Win % | WPS % | All Starts |
| Career | 16,804 | 2,192 | 2,290 | 2,262 | $21,312,896 | $1,268 | 13% | 40% | N/A |
| 2026 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 6 | $32,340 | $1,797 | 0% | 50% | View |
| 2025 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 4 | $43,110 | $2,156 | 10% | 45% | View |
| 2024 | 62 | 7 | 8 | 4 | $116,752 | $1,883 | 11% | 31% | View |
| 2023 | 96 | 8 | 12 | 12 | $171,358 | $1,785 | 8% | 33% | View |
| 2022 | 114 | 8 | 6 | 16 | $155,574 | $1,365 | 7% | 26% | View |
| 2021 | 111 | 16 | 8 | 26 | $197,801 | $1,782 | 14% | 45% | View |
| 2020 | 140 | 19 | 22 | 24 | $300,762 | $2,148 | 14% | 46% | View |
| 2019 | 127 | 15 | 19 | 19 | $270,214 | $2,128 | 12% | 42% | View |
| 2018 | 195 | 28 | 27 | 30 | $411,087 | $2,108 | 14% | 44% | View |
| 2017 | 194 | 27 | 36 | 25 | $401,814 | $2,071 | 14% | 45% | View |
| 2016 | 240 | 50 | 41 | 37 | $605,933 | $2,525 | 21% | 53% | View |
| 2015 | 236 | 39 | 38 | 28 | $408,507 | $1,731 | 17% | 44% | View |
| 2014 | 272 | 43 | 49 | 47 | $343,655 | $1,263 | 16% | 51% | View |
| 2013 | 308 | 41 | 47 | 55 | $356,857 | $1,159 | 13% | 46% | View |
| 2012 | 365 | 52 | 54 | 63 | $470,846 | $1,290 | 14% | 46% | View |
| 2011 | 471 | 72 | 68 | 80 | $512,392 | $1,088 | 15% | 47% | View |
| 2010 | 595 | 64 | 73 | 85 | $577,157 | $970 | 11% | 37% | View |
| 2009 | 535 | 72 | 78 | 77 | $972,392 | $1,818 | 13% | 42% | View |
| 2008 | 453 | 54 | 61 | 70 | $867,820 | $1,916 | 12% | 41% | View |
| 2007 | 401 | 46 | 64 | 56 | $813,530 | $2,029 | 11% | 41% | View |
| 2006 | 378 | 43 | 53 | 46 | $611,717 | $1,618 | 11% | 38% | View |
| 2005 | 375 | 48 | 57 | 38 | $662,647 | $1,767 | 13% | 38% | View |
| 2004 | 447 | 41 | 64 | 67 | $660,447 | $1,478 | 9% | 38% | View |
| 2003 | 406 | 46 | 71 | 61 | $590,530 | $1,455 | 11% | 44% | View |
| 2002 | 425 | 45 | 68 | 58 | $605,152 | $1,424 | 11% | 40% | View |
| 2001 | 493 | 75 | 65 | 71 | $743,388 | $1,508 | 15% | 43% | View |
| 2000 | 332 | 40 | 35 | 37 | $459,943 | $1,385 | 12% | 34% | View |
| 1999 | 397 | 47 | 53 | 59 | $587,588 | $1,480 | 12% | 40% | View |
| 1998 | 371 | 53 | 44 | 42 | $508,944 | $1,372 | 14% | 37% | View |
| 1997 | 442 | 52 | 70 | 46 | $544,616 | $1,232 | 12% | 38% | View |
| 1996 | 489 | 74 | 61 | 63 | $734,528 | $1,502 | 15% | 40% | View |
| 1995 | 526 | 80 | 69 | 104 | $807,290 | $1,535 | 15% | 48% | View |
| 1994 | 612 | 105 | 98 | 68 | $1,113,536 | $1,820 | 17% | 44% | View |
| 1993 | 581 | 103 | 97 | 73 | $753,033 | $1,296 | 18% | 47% | View |
| 1992 | 480 | 74 | 55 | 67 | $568,817 | $1,185 | 15% | 41% | View |
| 1991 | 396 | 55 | 51 | 52 | $533,888 | $1,348 | 14% | 40% | View |
| 1990 | 275 | 32 | 37 | 39 | $347,021 | $1,262 | 12% | 39% | View |
| 1989 | 230 | 30 | 38 | 26 | $288,813 | $1,256 | 13% | 41% | View |
| 1988 | 239 | 22 | 31 | 37 | $145,003 | $607 | 9% | 38% | View |
| 1987 | 208 | 25 | 25 | 27 | $123,219 | $592 | 12% | 37% | View |
| 1986 | 277 | 28 | 31 | 37 | $148,004 | $534 | 10% | 35% | View |
| 1985 | 322 | 25 | 31 | 27 | $154,204 | $479 | 8% | 26% | View |
| 1984 | 348 | 31 | 39 | 38 | $210,070 | $604 | 9% | 31% | View |
| 1983 | 343 | 41 | 39 | 44 | $211,945 | $618 | 12% | 36% | View |
| 1982 | 367 | 39 | 48 | 38 | $206,075 | $562 | 11% | 34% | View |
| 1981 | 260 | 24 | 19 | 23 | $126,288 | $486 | 9% | 25% | View |
| 1980 | 170 | 17 | 19 | 15 | $123,845 | $729 | 10% | 30% | View |
| 1979 | 241 | 20 | 18 | 31 | $92,213 | $383 | 8% | 29% | View |
| 1978 | 177 | 18 | 26 | 21 | $95,871 | $542 | 10% | 37% | View |
| 1977 | 204 | 22 | 30 | 19 | $89,167 | $437 | 11% | 35% | View |
| 1976 | 197 | 24 | 23 | 26 | $78,660 | $399 | 12% | 37% | View |
| 1975 | 142 | 21 | 22 | 19 | $95,698 | $674 | 15% | 44% | N/A |
| 1974 | 121 | 14 | 18 | 19 | $91,216 | $754 | 12% | 42% | N/A |
| 1973 | 107 | 16 | 13 | 14 | $68,164 | $637 | 15% | 40% | N/A |
| 1972 | 102 | 13 | 14 | 11 | $35,078 | $344 | 13% | 37% | N/A |
| 1971 | 123 | 16 | 13 | 10 | $21,006 | $171 | 13% | 32% | N/A |
| 1970 | 77 | 12 | 12 | 8 | $16,514 | $214 | 16% | 42% | N/A |
| 1968 | 73 | 10 | 7 | 6 | $17,594 | $241 | 14% | 32% | N/A |
| 1965 | 22 | 40 | 0 | 0 | $3,380 | $154 | 182% | 182% | N/A |
| 1964 | 40 | 4 | 4 | 6 | $4,183 | $105 | 10% | 35% | N/A |
| 1963 | 36 | 4 | 5 | 5 | $3,700 | $103 | 11% | 39% | N/A |
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