Dr. Manuel Alan Gilman, an industry leader who was the chief examining
veterinarian at New York racetracks for 32 years and later served as the Jockey
Club steward at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course, died
on Friday. He was 91.
A native of Queens, New York, and a graduate of the University of
Pennsylvania veterinary school, Gilman began working in the horse identification
department at the New York tracks in 1945 after serving in the U.S. Army during
World War II.
He became chief examining veterinarian in 1950, a position he held until
1982, during which time he developed the way racehorses are currently
“fingerprinted” by using the unique horny growths on the inside of horses’ legs
called chestnuts, as well as pioneering the extensive pre-race examination for
every horse that is now widespread in the industry.
“The pre-race examinations and horse identification as well as his
development of programs for racing officials are all big components of his
legacy,” said Dr. W. Theodore Hill, who was hired by Gilman as an examining
veterinarian in 1977 and who currently serves as the Jockey Club steward at the
NYRA tracks.
“The pre-race examination now is a big component of horse welfare and safety,
and you hear a lot about it, but back in the 1960s and 1970s, virtually no one
else besides Dr. Gilman was doing it. He was well before his time in
establishing those standards.”
After leaving NYRA, Gilman became general manager of Harbor View Farm, and
two years later became director of the Jockey Club. He served as the Jockey Club
steward at NYRA from 1986-1991, when he was awarded the Jockey Club Gold Medal
for his contributions to the industry.
Gilman, a former resident of Garden City, New York, is survived by his wife
of 63 years, Margaret Werber Gilman, a former Women’s Airforce Service Pilot
during World War II who in 2009 was honored with a Congressional Gold Medal;
their children, Charles and Jane, five grandchildren and four
great-grandchildren.
“He loved his job, he loved horses, and he loved the racing industry,” said
Gilman’s son, Charles, an attorney with the Manhattan Law Firm of Cahill, Gordon
and Reindel.
“He examined tens of thousands of horses during his career, and he always
said the most perfectly conformed horse of all the champions he ever examined
was Buckpasser. He also said the biggest, strongest and most imposing champion
he saw was Forego.”
Visitation will be at the Fairchild Funeral Chapel at 1201 Franklin Avenue in
Garden City, from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday. A private funeral
service will be held Wednesday.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to either the
Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation or the Backstretch Employee Services
Team (B.E.S.T.), which provides a range of health and human services for
backstretch workers at NYRA tracks.