Midwest-Based Owner/Breeder Otto Dies at 88

Horse owner and breeder Richard "Dick" Otto, whose stable campaigned graded stakes winners Summer Mis and Sir Anthony, died July 4 at his Chicago home following a short illness. He was 88. An entrepreneur whose business interests ranged from direct marketing to higher education, Otto devoted much of the latter part of his life to Thoroughbred racing after entering the sport in 1984. Racing as Richard Otto Stables, he built one of Illinois' most accomplished regional racing and breeding operations. According to Equibase statistics dating to 2000, his runners recorded 98 victories and earned more than $3.7 million while competing not only in his home state of Illinois but also elsewhere in Kentucky, Iowa, and Florida. Among Otto's greatest achievements came with homebred mare Summer Mis, an Illinois-bred Horse of the Year and champion older filly/mare. The daughter of Summer Squall won 11 of 23 starts and earned more than $542,000. Trained by Anthony Mitchell, she captured multiple stakes, highlighted by the 2003 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (G3) at Keeneland. Another standout for Otto was Sir Anthony, also conditioned by Mitchell. The hard-knocking runner upset grade 1 winner Audible in the 2018 Harlan's Holiday Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park before adding the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap (G3) the following year. He retired with a 7-for-29 record and more than $495,000 in earnings. Otto also was a valued longtime client of Lantern Hill Farm, where many of his horses were boarded and developed. Away from racing, Otto enjoyed a distinguished business career. For approximately two decades, he owned and served as president of the American Academy of Art College in Chicago, an institution recognized for producing accomplished illustrators, commercial artists, and fine artists. Beyond his success in business and racing, Otto was an accomplished bowler. As a teenager, he competed in the prestigious All-Star meet and, more than six decades later, rolled a perfect 300 game in 2018. Remembered for his generosity and kindness, Otto is survived by his wife, Ione; stepson Mark Gamrat; sister Beverly Ellsley and her husband, Robert. Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. CT July 16 at Drake & Son Funeral Home, 5303 N. Western Ave., in Chicago. A graveside service is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. July 17 at Acacia Park Cemetery, 7800 Irving Park Road, in Norridge, Ill. Attendees are asked to meet inside the cemetery gates by 11:15 a.m.