In the Winter of 1980, the notorious billionaires Nelson Bunker and William Herbert Hunt conspired to deprive me and my wife of our household silver. She was trained by Maurice Zilber at ages 2 through 5 and at 6 by Charlie Whittingham. Undaunted, Hunt pressed on with other oil ventures, and diversified into profitable sidelines in cattle, mining and real estate, and as an owner of thoroughbred racehorses. The Associated Press reported Hunt died at a Dallas assisted-living center after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease, his brother, W. Herbert Hunt, said. His Texas-sized ambitions were matched by a Texas-size physique (he weighed 275 lbs, almost 20 stone) and Texas-sized eccentricity. His family moved to Tyler, Texas, during his youth, and finally to Dallas. She was induced into the U.S. Hunt, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 88, was a son of oil tycoon H.L. At a Congressional hearing examining the silver debacle, he was asked about his wealth. Hunt's dispersal at Keeneland in January 2008 resulted in 580 horses being sold for a then-record $46,912,000. His horses triumphed in more than 100 major races, including the 1976 Epsom Derby, won by the French-trained Empery with Lester Piggott aboard. Hunt had an indelible effect on international racing and breeding in the 1970s and 1980s, after purchasing his first Thoroughbred in 1955. Bunker Hunt is well named as his dam is named Secret Obsession and that’s what Nelson Bunker Hunt, who died in 2014 aged 88, and his brothers had when it came to silver. Vaguely Noble’s part-owner Nelson Bunker Hunt, who had extensive racing interests in France, won the 1976 Derby with his son Empery and also campaigned one of the best mares in Timeform’s experience, Dahlia (rated 135), whose victories included two wins in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Mr. Hunt developed a very successful horse breeding and racing operation on the ranch and won Outstanding Breeder awards in 1976, 1985 and 1987. The effort by Hunt and brother Herbert to corner the silver market led to legal problems and bankruptcy. Order This Photo. The Federal Reserve had drastically raised interest rates to fight inflation and the silver bubble burst. Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines. In the early 70s the brothers began to amass vast quantities of silver futures, at first ostensibly as a hedge. That day the Hunts failed to meet various margin calls, and a $7bn paper asset turned into a $1.7bn debt. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. For all his wealth, he often travelled economy class, even using the subway on visits to New York. At Woodbine… Youth, Nelson Bunker Hunt's 3‐yearold colt who won five stakes in France this year and was third in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, … Nelson Bunker Hunt is awarded the winner's trophy after a victory for one of his horses in 1974, This undated file photo shows the billionaire brothers Herbert (left) and Nelson Bunker Hunt (AP), {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}, Nelson Bunker Hunt dead: Former world’s richest man dies in 'modest, You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully, Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable, Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties, We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification. Had Nelson Bunker Hunt's 4‐year‐old colt been able to get through, he undoubtedly would have given Majestic Light more of a late challenge. Horse Racing Nation. Hunt International Petroleum, which he founded with his siblings Lamar and William Herbert, made him fabulously wealthy – at least until Muammar Gaddafi came to power and nationalised Sarir in 1973. Each of the three brothers had special personal interests. He was an accomplished runner … Nelson Bunker Hunt of Texas served as a member of the Council of The John Birch Society from 1976 to 1985 and then from 2007 until his passing. Empery's sire was Vaguely Noble, the winner of the 1968 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe who also sired Hunt's great racing mare, Dahlia. Official App. During that period, the prominent horses bred and/or raced by Hunt were led by European Horse of the Year and influential sire Vaguely Noble, as well as champions Dahlia, Empery, Youth, Exceller, Trillion, Glorious Song, Dahar, and Estrapade. Dahlia was ridden by Ron Turcotte in the 1974 Man o’ War. _ Dallasite Nelson Bunker Hunt is a three-time Eclipse Award winner as the nation's leading Thoroughbred breeder (1976, 1985, 1987). He was also a certified Bible Belt, evangelist Christian, whose positions included chairman of the Texas Bible Society and head of the Campus Crusade for Christ International, set up to help inner cities. Oil made the family fortune in the first place, and now oil is resurrecting that fortune. For some, Nelson was JR Ewing of the eponymous TV series made flesh. The holdings grew to nearly $4.5 billion by January 1980, and he and Herbert Hunt lost more than $1 billion in March 1980 when the price of silver collapsed. Bred and owned by Nelson Bunker Hunt. Free – Google Play. He was owned by Nelson Bunker Hunt, who purchased Exceller for US$25,000 at the 1974 Keeneland July yearling sale. Mr. Turner continued to be engaged in the development of Westlake until he sold the Circle T Ranch to Nelson Bunker Hunt in 1969. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates. Learn More or Download the App, Saratoga Derby Big Mover in New Graded Stakes Listings, Four Wheel Drive to Take Spin at Turfway Park, Court Decision Rocks TVG Parent Company Flutter, CHRB Issues Half-Year Los Alamitos License With Review, Outadore to Try Dirt in Remington Springboard Mile, Plus News, Analysis, Entries, Results & Replays, Derby Runner-up Madhmoon to Stand at Haras du Saz, Pinball Wizard Heads BC Qualifying Carlos Pellegrini. Sale/Hip/Type Name, Sex, YOB Pedigree/Cover Sire Consignor/Buyer Price Status; DISNBH1988 Hip: 1 Broodmare Adept F 1979 Nelson Bunker Hunt dead: Former world’s richest man dies in 'modest circumstances' in US after losing his fortune. The son of Vaguely Noble may be the greatest horse never to win a year-end championship in the United States. As for Nelson Bunker, his passion was racehorses. 700,000 Paris Collection (Riverman-Margravine) Robert Bricken, agent Nelson Bunker Hunt Dispersal 1988 Broodmares/Broodmare Prospects Price Horse Pregnancy Status Purchaser Consignor Year $5,000,000 Abel Tasman (broodmare prospect) M.V. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. But on 27 March 1980 – a date that has gone down in the annals of market disasters as “Silver Thursday” – the speculative edifice collapsed, and with it most of the Hunts’ money. Taylor ... 2007 Horse Racing Alberta 2006 WLKY 32, Louisville 2005 WAVE 3, Louisville The silver market may have cost him an immense fortune, yet for about two decades Nelson Bunker Hunt struck gold in Thoroughbred racing. Lifetime Race Record: 48-15-3-7, $1,535,443. But his habits, by all accounts, didn’t greatly change. William Herbert, the survivor of the trio, was deeply involved in real estate. Blogs. Fines, claims and lawsuits consumed much of the Hunts’ remaining wealth. Throughout his career, Bunker Hunt bred 58 stakes winners and an astounding 25 champions. Nelson Bunker Hunt, Texas oil tycoon and longtime Thoroughbred owner and breeder, died Oct. 21 of congestive heart failure in Dallas. Magnier Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for China Horse Club and Clearsky Farms 2019 He made his fortune in the oil business, and he has been involved in racing for over a half-century. White Chiffon Photo Gallery. He was a council member of the radical rightwing John Birch Society, and funded expeditions to find the Titanic and Noah’s Ark. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment. “I’m just trying to win a few races.”. As the son of legendary Texas oilman H.L. By some estimates the Hunts controlled up to half the world’s deliverable silver, worth more than $7bn. It was an outrageous act. Sliding prices for oil, land, and commodities further dented their fortunes. Nelson Bunker Hunt built on his father's oil and gas holdings, finding a rich Libyan oil field only to have it nationalized later by Moammar Gadhafi. “I don’t have the figures in my head,” he answered. Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? But by the end of the decade the buying had turned into a bid to corner the world market in silver whose price, following that of gold, soared in early 1980 to more than $50 an ounce. Hunt at one time owned more than 600 horses and his Bluegrass Farms in Central Kentucky once totaled more than 8,000 acres, according to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. Racing Hall of Fame and Canadian Racing Hall of Fame. In 1988, Nelson Bunker Hunt disbanded his stable and Dahlia was sold for $1.1 million to Allen Paulson. Nelson Bunker Hunt might have been born in El Dorado, Arkansas – which, come to think of it, was a pretty suitable place of origin for someone raised with money to burn – but spiritually, he was a Texan through and through, an oilman who was briefly a candidate for the title of the world’s richest man. In 2012, William Herbert sold his company’s stake in the Bakken Field for $1.45bn, lifting his net wealth to an estimated $3bn or more. Hunt … Once it was East Texas, now it’s the new US petroleum El Dorado of North Dakota. She was one of 158 stakes winners and 25 champions bred by Nelson Bunker Hunt. Winner of the U.S. Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder in 1976, 1985, and 1987, he owned the 8,000-acre (3,200 ha) Bluegrass Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, and raced thoroughbreds in Europe and North America. 1981- Inducted in the National Racing Museum Hall of Fame. The Texan oilman and real-life JR Ewing was a … A year earlier, Turcotte won the Man o’ War aboard Secretariat. “I really don’t know anything,” he commented, in words that recalled his post-silver crash testimony to Congress. “People who know how much they’re worth aren’t usually worth that much.”. The brothers agreed to lifetime bans from trading in commodities futures and a $10 million penalty with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which alleged that they manipulated the price of silver. University of Louisville Equine Industry Program - Get a Career in Horse Racing! In his pomp, he owned vast acreages of oil and ranchland around the globe, as well as the Circle T Ranch, 30 miles outside Dallas. Nelson Bunker Hunt, the Texas oilman who once tried to corner the silver market and a prominent international Thoroughbred owner-breeder, died … You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. In 1993, the Circle T Ranch was sold to H. Ross Perot, Jr. A funeral is scheduled Friday, Oct. 24 at 11 a.m. at Park Cities Presbyterian Church in Dallas, to be followed by a private graveside service, Hunt's brother said. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Hunt was honored with Eclipse Awards as outstanding breeder in 1976, 1985, and 1987. His grandsire Vienna was owned and raced by Sir Winston Churchill. Rating: 4.39/10 My Rating: No rating Login to rate this horse. Featured Blogs - From Coast to Coast - Derby Radar - HorseCenter Video Show - Horse Racing Talk ... Nelson Bunker Hunt - Trainer: Maurice Zilber. Hunt, who left behind a multibillion-dollar fortune and Placid Oil Co., once one of the biggest independent oil companies, Nelson Bunker Hunt was one of the world's richest individuals. Kentucky (USA) by Nelson Bunker Hunt - Pedigree: Candy Ride - In The Lea by Meadowlake. Of 11 foals to race, Dahlia produced six graded stakes winners — four Grade 1 winners and two Grade 2 winners, as well as a Grade 1-placed horse and a listed stakes-placed horse. He was 88. 1987 Nelson Bunker Hunt 1986 Paul Mellon 1985 Nelson Bunker Hunt 1984 Claiborne Farm 1983 E.P. Owner Nelson Bunker Hunt and jockey Ron Turcotte with Dahlia after winning the Man o' War Stakes Dec. 18, 1974. The term ‘shuttle stallion’ wasn’t even invented at that time but Bunker Hunt who at one time owned over 1000 horses was a man ahead of his time and he imported Waikato Stud’s and Australasia’s first ever shuttle-stallion in Prétendre – a son of Doutelle who came within … Among his horses, Hunt bred or raced Vaguely Noble, Dahlia, Empery, Youth, Exceller, Trillion, Glorious Song, Dahar and Estrapade. Create a commenting name to join the debate, There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts, There are no comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts. In 2001 the great jet-setting mare passed away at the age of thirty-one and was buried at the Diamond A Farm in Kentucky. Download Today's Edition But even without Nelson Bunker, the epic story of the Hunts continues – indeed, it may be said to have come full circle. In 1988, Dahlia was purchased a broodmare for $1.1 by Allen E. Paulson, who would later own Cigar. In his glory days, he owned more than 1,000 thoroughbreds in stables across the world. The United States National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has awarded Hunt the title of "legendary owner-breeder". He followed with the purchase of 38 yearlings for a total $1,716,000 at Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton sales. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Dahlia was bred and owned by Nelson Bunker Hunt. A true gentleman ---no one loved horses and thoroughbred racing more than Bunker--it was a pleasure to assist Bunker in planning the mating of his mares from 1980 on-- … Nelson Bunker Hunt - Thoroughbred Horse Racing. For the first time in a quarter-century, a Hunt, now aged 84, is back on the lists of America’s richest men. The Texas Hunts are a collective legend, dating back to the wildcatter HL Hunt who made his fortune in the newly discovered East Texas oilfield in the 1920s, and along the way sired 15 children by three wives. Search All News. Not least, he was also a major financial backer of the 1979 film Jesus, which makers claim is the most watched movie ever – seen by 3 billion people and translated into almost every language. Background. 1973- European Champion 3-Year-Old. Residing at Nelson Bunker Hunt’s Bluegrass Farm and then Allen Paulson’s Brookside Farm, Dahlia remarkably proved as great a producer as she was a racehorse. 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