King Leatherberry, a Hall of Fame trainer famously dubbed the “King of the Claimers” for his knack of transforming inexpensive horses into winners in lower-tier races over a career spanning more than six decades, passed away Tuesday at the age of 92.
The Maryland Jockey Club shared that Leatherberry’s son, Taylor Leatherberry, confirmed his father died peacefully at home, with the cause of death not publicly revealed.
Leatherberry, who retired in 2023, became just the third trainer ever to notch over 6,000 career victories—joining Dale Baird and Jack Van Berg. His final tally reached 6,508 wins, with earnings exceeding $64.6 million, according to Equibase. He captured 52 training titles across Maryland tracks, including 26 each at Pimlico and Laurel, plus four at Delaware Park.
“Dad was truly one of a kind,” Taylor Leatherberry remarked to Laurel Park. “No one embodied that title better than him.”
As part of Maryland racing’s legendary “Big Four” with fellow Hall of Famers Bud Delp, Richard Dutlow Sr., and John Tummaro Jr., Leatherberry helped shape training methods focused on both speed and endurance during the 1960s and ’70s.
Reflecting in 2013, Leatherberry said, “Competing against those guys was thrilling and pushed us all to become better trainers.”
He topped North American trainers in wins in 1977 and 1978, consistently reaching over 300 wins annually between 1975 and 1978. Leatherberry was inducted into the National Museum of Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2015 as a first-ballot honoree.
His lone Kentucky Derby starter was I Am the Game in 1985, finishing 13th, with the horse placing fourth in that year’s Preakness Stakes. Leatherberry had four horses compete in the second leg of the Triple Crown during his career.
A Maryland native, he earned his trainer’s license in 1958 and claimed his first victory at Sunland Park (now Tampa Bay Downs) in 1959. “I got involved because my dad bred and owned horses and enjoyed betting,” Leatherberry said in 2013. “I never planned for this lifetime career, but enjoying it made all the difference.”
Armed with a business degree from the University of Maryland, he honed his expertise studying racetracks, past performances, and mastering the claiming game, where owners buy horses in races at set prices. Leatherberry was atypical in that he managed much of his operation from home, relying on a committed staff at the barn.
“In the early ’60s, claiming ownership was novel,” he told The Washington Post in 2005. “It was the beginning of treating horse management as a true business.”
Leatherberry’s greatest horse was Ben’s Cat, a Maryland-bred star he owned and trained, who won 32 races—including 26 stakes—and earned over $2.6 million from 2010 to 2017. Ben’s Cat passed away in 2017 and is laid to rest near Laurel Park’s paddock.
His resume also features Grade 1 winners Catatonic and Take Risks, and multiple victories with Port Conway Lane, who raced from 1971 to 1983, amassing 52 wins in 242 starts.
Leatherberry is survived by his wife of 62 years, Linda, along with twin sons Taylor and Todd.
Fan Take: King Leatherberry’s passing marks the loss of a true innovator whose mastery of claiming races and dedication to the sport helped elevate Maryland racing to national prominence. For fans and the industry, his legacy underscores the enduring importance of passion, savvy management, and resilience in thoroughbred training.
