Moyglare Stud owner Walter Haefner has died in his native Switzerland at age
101. Born in Zurich in 1910, the renowned businessman and billionaire
philanthropist, who set up the famed Irish stud farm in 1962, bred such
luminaries as Refuse to Bend, Casual Conquest, Trusted Partner and Dress to
Thrill.
One of the pioneers of international competition, Haefner was rewarded by the
victory of Go and Go, the only European-trained U.S. classic winner, in the 1990
Belmont Stakes and by Additional Risk in the inaugural Hong Kong Bowl.
Last week, Moyglare’s black, white and red silks were carried to success at
Royal Ascot by Princess Highway in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes and are due to
be sported in Sunday’s Group 1 Irish Derby at The Curragh by the promising
sophomore Speaking of Which, a nine-length winner of the recent Grade 3
Gallinule Stakes over the course.
Having started out as an amateur rider, Haefner collected the Fegentri
Champion Amateur Championship in 1963 and quickly established his name in
breeding circles after setting up a longstanding partnership with Stan Cosgrove,
who managed the County Kildare establishment from 1967. In 1982, Moyglare was
the breeder of classic winner Assert, hero of the Irish Derby, as well as Japan
Cup heroine Stanerra. Nineteen years later, Media Puzzle added another major
overseas prize to the operation’s tally when capturing the Melbourne Cup.
Also an Honorary Turf Club member in Ireland and the benefactor of
organizations such as RACE and the Equine Centre, Haefner was responsible for
supporting the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, which will be staged for the 40th
time in 2012, a half-century after the foundation of the stud. His daughter,
Eva-Maria Bucher Haefner, has recently announced the sponsorship of a series of
breeders’ awards for winning fillies and mares in Ireland this year called the
“Moyglare 50.”
A memorial service for Haefner’s life and times will be held in Ireland at a
later date.