William ‘Bill’ Emerson Passes

Published: July 12, 2016 11:17 am EDT

Horseman William ‘Bill’ Emerson, well known to the Pinehurst, N.C., and Ohio training communities, passed away on Monday, July 4, one day shy of his 83rd birthday.

Emerson had battled melanoma since 2009 and had undergone a second surgery for treatment in February.

A native of Canadaigua, N.Y., Emerson followed his father into the auction business, but with a two-stall barn on their property, his interest in horses prompted him to buy a trotter for a few hundred dollars. He enjoyed working with horses and eventually went to work for the late Lee Broglio, as he joined the Broglio operation in Florida and took Slapstick on the road for the Little Brown Jug.

In later years, Emerson trained several standout trotters: New York Sire Stakes winner Lady Sport 4,1:56.3, who finished fourth in an elimination for the 1994 Hambletonian Oaks; two-year-old Ohio Sires Stakes champion Calico Comer 4,1:55.2 ($133,303); and Message Machine 2,2:00.3h, a winner of an Ohio Breeders Championship at Delaware in 2002. More recently, Emerson worked for various horsemen in Pinehurst during the winter training season.

"He just loved getting up in the morning and going to the barn to get a horse ready," said his wife, Marcia.

The Emersons eventually resided in Pinehurst year-round and became active in working to ensure the training centre in the centre of the resort village was maintained for horses and not developed, and the historic barn on the grounds was restored.

In addition to his wife of 40 years, Emerson is survived by three children, sons Dr. Chris and Peter and daughter Bridget.

No services were held. Emerson donated his body to MedCure, a medical research group.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Bill Emerson.

(Harnessracing.com)

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