Inducted in 1993. Charlie Whittingham, born in San Diego in 1913 and raised on his father’s farm in Otay Mesa, won 638 stakes in a Hall of Fame training career that spanned seven decades until his death in 1999.
In 1986, at age seventy-three, he became the oldest trainer to win a Kentucky Derby with Ferdinand. He won again three years later with Sunday Silence.
Both won Horse of the Year honors, as did Ack Ack in 1971, and Whittingham won three Eclipse Awards as Trainer of the year.
A former Marine who fought at Guadalcanal, “The Bald Eagle” was renowned for his tireless work ethic and patience with young horses.
