The California Thoroughbred industry lost one of its true giants on Wednesday with the passing of Mace Siegel, who with his late wife Jan and daughter Samantha campaigned a host of stakes winners over the last 35 years, including 2004 Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old male Declan’s Moon. Siegel was 86 years old.
Samantha Siegel published a note on her Twitter account (@jayemesssam) that said: “Heartbroken, my dad, my rock is gone. He died at home at peace today.”
While the familiar green and blue silks of the Siegel family won major races throughout the country, it was in California where Mace Siegel made his mark, not just on the racetrack, but through his philanthropy and as an advocate for Thoroughbred owners and for the game in general.
We’ll never know how many people and organizations Mace Siegel helped, either through his financial generosity or moral support, but the number is substantial.
