Background
Lewis, Robert was born on January 2, 1924 in New York, New York, United States.
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Robert Lewis
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Brooklyn Law School (Bachelor of Laws, 1950). New York University (Master of Laws in Labor Law, 1953).
Career
He served in the United States Army during World War II before studying at the University of Oregon. After graduating, he worked in Los Angeles as a beer salesman. In 1956, he started his own company, the Foothill Beverage Company, which became one of the biggest Anheuser-Busch distributors in the country.
Active philanthropists, the Lewises have supported a number of charitable works including a $5 million donation to the Pomona Valley Hospital to help establish the Robert and Beverly Lewis Family Cancer Care Center. They became dedicated owners, spending millions at yearling sales and hiring first class trainers such as Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas. After retiring, in 2002 Serena's Song was inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
That year they were voted the Big Sport of Turfdom Award. The Lewises had six Eclipse Award winning horses. Charismatic repeated his stablemate's success in 1999 but broke a leg in the Belmont Stakes.
Bob Lewis died on February 17, 2006. In 2007, Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, renamed the Santa Catalina Stakes in his honor.
Achievements
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The couples' first major success came when Timber Country won 1994 Breeders' Cup Juvenile then in 1995, the Preakness Stakes. At the same time, their filly, Serena's Song, was voted the U.S. Champion 3-Year-Old Filly for 1995. Other well known horses owned by the Lewises include Silver Charm, winner of the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, and the 1998 Dubai World Cup, the richest horse race in the world.
In 1999, their colt Charismatic also won the Derby and Preakness and was voted United States Horse of the Year. After Silver Charm won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 1997, the couple were voted the Eclipse Award of Merit, the American industry's highest honor. Commendable won the Belmont Stakes in 2000 wearing Lewis' colors.
Orientate won the Breeders' Cup Sprint in 2002 while Folklore won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies championship.
Membership
At Oregon, Lewis was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. Beverly Lewis remains active in the horse racing industry and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Edwin J. Gregson Foundation.
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Born
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Died
February 17, 2006 (aged 82) -
Nationality
American