Tributes from around the country flooded social media Sept. 8 following the announcement of the death of former trainer Chuck Simon.
A native of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Simon was 57 and had been diagnosed in May with Stage 4 cancer.
A graduate of Saratoga Central Catholic High School, Simon played basketball and football there, and he continued his basketball career while pursuing a degree in accounting from Junior College of Albany, now a part of Russell Sage College. He went on to study animal science at the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program.
Simon worked in a variety of capacities in horse racing, beginning his career as assistant racing secretary at Standardbred track Yonkers Raceway. Switching to Thoroughbreds, he worked under trainers Tom Skiffington, D. Wayne Lukas, Nick Zito, and Allen Jerkens.
"Allen really gave Chuck his major opportunities," said Simon's brother David.
Like Jerkens, Simon was known for giving a hand to people who needed it or who were interested in getting involved in racing.
"I meet people at the track all the time that Chuck helped out," said Barry Spears, Simon's partner in Going In Circles Media. Simon launched a horse racing podcast in May 2020 and recorded nearly 300 episodes. The final episode was published May 6. Simon also maintained a blog, publishing his last post July 7. "He had the biggest heart of anyone I've ever known."
Simon began training on his own in 1999 and ran his last horse July 19, 2019, at Gulfstream Park. His horses earned more than $11.2 million and he trained two graded stakes winners, Sabellina (Cardinal Handicap, G3) and Battle Won (Churchill Downs Handicap, G2). Among the prominent owners who employed him were Ken and Sarah Ramsey.
A decade ago, Spears received a message from Simon "out of the blue," asking about his interest in basketball and horse racing. The two quickly found common ground.
"He didn't even really know me," said Spears, who played both college and professional basketball, "but he was really curious about my experiences playing basketball. He was working in Florida at the time, and he invited me to come down and hang out at Gulfstream Park. We bonded like brothers right away.
"Over the last 24 hours, I found out that Chuck had a habit of just randomly messaging people to tell them good things."
Simon is survived by his parents, Charles Sr. and Virginia, and two brothers, Scott and David. He returned to upstate New York several years ago to help care for his parents.
Catricala Funeral Home at 1597 Route 9 in Clifton Park, N.Y., will host funeral services on Sept. 16, according to trainer and restaurateur Carlo Vaccarezza, who had a long friendship with Simon. Viewing will occur from noon - 2 p.m. ET, and a service will follow from 2 - 2:30 p.m.
