California horse trainer Noble Threewit dies at 99

Published Sep. 20, 2010 2:47 a.m. ET

foxsports

Noble Threewit, a trainer and beloved figure in Southern California horse racing for more than seven decades, has died. He was 99.

Fairplex Park spokesman Ed Golden said Threewit died Friday at an assisted living facility in West Covina.

Except for a few years in New York, Threewit stabled horses at Santa Anita Park from its opening day in 1934 until his 96th birthday in 2007, when he retired after 75 years and more than 2,000 victories.

His best horse was Correlation, who won the Florida Derby and Wood Memorial Stakes in 1954 before finishing sixth as the 3-1 favorite in the Kentucky Derby.

In 2006 at age 95, he became the oldest trainer to win in North America when he took a maiden claiming race at Santa Anita.