Influential veterinarian
Harthill dies
Veterinarian Alex Harthill, who was known world-wide for his handling of
Kentucky Derby (G1) winners, died Saturday morning in Louisville, Kentucky. He
was 80.
“He should be remembered as one of the greatest veterinarians of all time,”
trainer William Fires told Louisville’s The Courier-Journal. “I think most
people around the racetrack will remember him as a person who has helped
everybody on the track. When other people would give up on a horse, he would
continue on.”
The first Kentucky Derby winner attended to by Harthill was Citation, who
went on to capture the 1948 Triple Crown, and the legendary horseman also
supervised the care of 1978 Triple Crown winner Affirmed as well as noted
Kentucky Derby winners Spectacular Bid, Sunday Silence and Swaps. He was part of
the team that tried unsuccessfully to save the tremendous filly Ruffian after
she broke down in a 1975 match race, and Harthill was also associated with
Kelso, Round Table and Nashua.
He wasn’t without controversy. Harthill was the veterinarian for Dancer’s
Image, who was disqualified from the 1968 Kentucky Derby after testing positive
for phenalbutazone (bute), and he had his critics in the media. However, the
veterinarian was always well respected by his colleagues.
“He was probably the most revolutionary equine practitioner that there has
been,” said Gary Priest, Harthill’s partner in a Versailles, Kentucky,
equine surgical clinic for 20 years. “I can’t think of anybody who has done more
to advance equine medicine and surgery than he has. So many of the techniques
and stuff we do routinely, he came up with the idea.”
Harthill is survived by two daughters, Alexis Borden of Louisville and Meha
Harthill of Irvine, California.