Edward L. Bowen, the prolific author and editor who for decades chronicled and celebrated the horses and personalities of the sport of racing, died on Monday at his home in Versailles, Ky., according to friends. Bowen was 82.
An author of 22 books on racing and a journalist and historian of the sport for six decades, Bowen played pivotal roles in curating the history of racing through his written works and his chairmanship of the Hall of Fame Nominating Committee at the National Museum of Racing since 1987.
His books had equine subjects ranging from Bold Ruler to War Admiral, and his collected biographies cataloged the sport’s most influential people and bloodstock, from August Belmont through Man o’ War and the multi-generational Whitneys.
The death was first reported by the Blood-Horse, where Bowen was an editor from 1987-1993.
“Ed was respected by everyone in racing for his knowledge, talent, and passion, said Brien Bouyea, the communications director for the Hall for Fame. “Ed was the definition of a gentleman, one of the kindest people I have ever met. I consider myself most fortunate to have had Ed as a mentor and friend.
“He was a human racing encyclopedia and his love for the sport was unsurpassed. He leaves behind an immeasurable legacy, a true giant of American racing.”
At the time of his death, Bowen was also the chair of the Historic Review Committee for the Hall of Fame, and he previously served on the Pillars of the Turf Committee and Steeplechase Review Committee. He was also the chair of its Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor, which conspicuously does not have him as a member.
“It was a matter of integrity for him,” Bouyea said. “He didn’t want to be nominated while he was the chair of the committee, and he didn’t want to step away from it. There were people who asked him to step away for only one year so that he could be nominated, but he just didn’t want to give it up.”
From 1994 to 2018, Bowen was also the president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, guiding the foundation’s fundraising efforts and its contributions to scientific studies benefiting horse health. When Bowen retired from the position, the foundation had distributed $22 million in funding for studies over his 24 years.
Born in West Virginia, Bowen’s family moved to Florida when he was young. While attending high school and during college summers, Bowen worked in a variety of racing positions, including as a groom and hotwalker. He also interned at the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.
In 1963, Bowen transferred to the University of Kentucky in Lexington to be closer to the epicenter of the horse industry and to study journalism. After college, he began writing for the Blood-Horse.
In 1968, Bowen accepted a position as editor of The Canadian Horse. In 1970, he returned to Lexington and the Blood-Horse, this time as managing editor. Following the retirement of Kent Hollingsworth - Bowen’s longtime mentor- in early 1987, Bowen was given the title of editor in chief until 1992, when he became the magazine’s senior editor for a year. He was hired by the Grayson Jockey-Club Foundation the following year.
The Blood-Horse’s imprint, Eclipse Press, published the vast majority of Bowen’s books, and his “Matriarchs: Great Mares of the 20th Century,” remains one of the imprint’s top-selling books. He also contributed chapters or forewords to 17 other books.
Jacqueline Duke, the former president of Eclipse Press, said in the Blood-Horse article that Bowen’s “contributions to the Thoroughbred library are incalculable.”
“Ed was a terrific raconteur and a gentleman from the old school,” Duke said. “Even before our book ventures, I knew Ed as a kind mentor to an upstart journalist. He explained people, politics, and the idiosyncrasies of the horse business.”
Bowen received the Eclipse Award for magazine writing in 1972. He was also the recipient of the National Turf Writers Association’s Walter Haight Award, the Charles Engelhard Award from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, and the Old Hilltop Award from Pimlico. He was made a Kentucky Colonel in 2022.
Bowen’s life will be the subject of a tribute at Thursday night’s Eclipse Awards ceremony.
Bowen is survived by his wife Ruth; a son, George; two daughters, Jennifer and Tracy; and two grandchildren.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.