Former California trainer Kathy Walsh dies at age 85

Former trainer Kathy Walsh died in her sleep Thursday in Chico, Calif., where she had lived for the past 2 1/2 years. She was 85.

In a training career that began in 1970, Walsh won 1,231 races and banked $19,372,724 in purse earnings, according to Equibase statistics. Her final starter came on Oct. 3, 2021, at Los Alamitos.

Born March 18, 1940, in Sonoma, Calif., Walsh was the daughter of longtime Northwest-based trainer Jim Walsh. She got her assistant trainer’s license in 1962, and in 1970 she took over her father’s stable after his passing.

Walsh’s notable runners included Grade 1 winners Georgie Boy and Nany’s Sweep plus graded-stakes winners Devious Boy, Sarah’s Secret, Evening Promise, Mantles Star and Staff Riot.

Walsh’s niece Joanie Webster said her aunt had been dealing with dementia in recent years, which prompted Walsh’s move north to Chico, about 100 miles north of Sacramento.

Memorial details have not yet been finalized. Webster said the family plans to have a race named in Walsh’s honor at Santa Anita before the close of the current meet June 15.