On June 23, actor Dick Van Patten died in Santa Monica, California at the age of 86. The famed actor starred in hit movies and shows like “Freaky Friday,” “Eight is Enough,” “Spaceballs” and “Robin Hood, Men in Tights.”
Van Patten was also a huge horse racing fan. A native New Yorker, he spent a lot of time at Aqueduct Racetrack with his father growing up. The racetrack fueled his passion for the sport. Van Patten ended up purchasing his first Thoroughbreds in 1946 at the age of 18. When he move to California, he eventually had his own small stables and a number of horses trained by Bill Spawr.
His publicist Jeffrey Ballard once spoke to TMZ saying, “the only time Dick Van Patten runs is down the stretch at the racetrack when his horses are winning.”
