Bernie Flint, a grade 1-winning conditioner with 3,551 victories in Thoroughbred races, died early July 17 at a Louisville, Ky., hospital following a battle with bladder cancer, according to his son, Steve. He was 86.
Flint, who retired from training in late 2023 because of declining health, also enjoyed considerable success as an owner and breeder, remaining active in Indiana's racing and breeding program in recent years.
Yet, it was as a trainer—and the unique path that led him there—that made Flint a recognizable figure.
Born Jan. 15, 1940, in New Orleans, Flint served as a police officer before transforming his passion for horses into a full-time career in the mid-1970s. After establishing himself at Jefferson Downs near New Orleans, he expanded his operation to Chicago before making Kentucky his permanent base in the early 1980s. His 500 victories at Churchill Downs, where he earned multiple training titles, still places him among the 10 winningest trainers in track history. He also won titles in the state at Keeneland, Turfway Park, and Ellis Park, and was honored by the Kentucky Thoroughbred media for six consecutive years—1998 to 2003—for most wins in the state.
According to Equibase statistics, Flint's horses made 19,716 starts, earning nearly $65 million. He captured 28 graded stakes, including Outofthebox's victory in the 2001 Super Derby (G1) at Louisiana Downs. His accomplished roster of Thoroughbreds further included Hurricane Bertie, Runway Model, One Mean Man, and others.
Some of Flint's most significant victories came while training for the family of Bert, Elaine, and Richard Klein.
Richard Klein recalled Flint telling him, "There are horsemen, and there are trainers, and there's a difference between a horseman and a trainer."
"He was a true horseman," Klein said of Flint.
Klein recalled that although his family occasionally clashed with Flint, their mutual respect typically prevailed and differences were settled. One memorable disagreement came when Flint questioned an aspect of the physical characteristics of a filly Klein and his mother, Elaine, were examining ahead of an auction.
"My mother says, 'Bernie, I got a question. If you took off all your clothes and you stood in the mirror and you looked at yourself, would you be happy with what you're looking at?'" Klein remembered. "And he said, 'Mrs. Klein, you're right.'"
With Flint agreeable to the buy, they purchased the filly, who Flint developed into graded stakes winner Swept Away, Richard Klein said.
Standing nearly 6-foot-4 and weighing around 250 pounds in his prime, Flint was an intimidating figure with a booming, deep voice to match his physical presence.
"Sometimes when he was holding court in his barn, you could hear his voice several barns away as you're approaching his barn," Churchill Downs and Keeneland racing secretary Ben Huffman remembered.
"He was one of the last of the real-life racetrack characters, if you will," Huffman said.
For about half of 16 years in the New Orleans Police Department, Flint pulled double duty: fighting crime and training horses. Flint spent two years leading the burglary division in New Orleans after earlier assignments in robbery, burglary, homicide, and narcotics.
His years on the force provided an abundance of colorful stories, including one involving the New Orleans arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald months before Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy, Klein remembered. Oswald was arrested in the city Aug. 9, 1963, following a confrontation with members of a rival political group.
Flint also earned his pilot's license and, at one point, owned two airplanes, he told publicist Jennie Rees of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association in a 2025 story.
"I flew (eventual Hall of Famer) Randy Romero to Delta Downs in order to be leading rider (in the country) when nobody else would take him, the weather was so gawd-awful bad," Flint added. "I can't believe I did it. But I did it for Randy. I was careful, but like I told him, 'We might get there, or we might not. I might get you home, and I might not.' He made it there, and he did ride. But the horse bolted on the turn. He broke his leg and got stuck there. I jumped in my plane and flew back home."
READ: Retired From Training, Flint Still in Racing as an Owner
Behind the imposing exterior was an old-school horseman with a keen eye for talent, equally adept at developing graded stakes winners and improving modest claimers. Fiercely competitive, he earned the respect of owners, fellow trainers, and racing officials.
Steve Flint assisted his father for roughly 20 years before training on his own.
"He was always a tough competitor," Steve said. "He put his horses where they belonged. ... He loved to win races, and that's what I knew him for best."
Flint is survived by his wife, Terri; sons Steve, Scott, and Lance; and daughters-in-law Jodie and Leah.
"He made us tough," Steve said of his father. "I like to think that our whole family has been successful and we owe it to him. He made sure we did it the right way."
A private service will be held, with a public memorial planned around Churchill Downs' September meeting, Steve Flint said.
