Stan Bowker, who spent his adult life working in the racing
industry and played a prominent role in building tracks around the country,
died last Tuesday in Clearwater, Fla., according to members of his family.

Bowker, who was 81, was instrumental in the opening of
Canterbury Park in Minnesota and Prairie Meadows in Iowa in the ’80s and Colonial
Downs in Virginia in 1997. He also had a role in the 2006 reopening of Will
Rogers Downs in Oklahoma.

In the ’70s and ’80s, Bowker cut his teeth working at Ak-Sar-Ben
in Nebraska, where he rose to the role of racing director.

From track management, Bowker moved into regulatory roles in
the ’90s, first as the original senior steward and then as executive director of
the Virginia Racing Commission.

Bowker was honored by the Association of Racing Commissioners
International with the Len Foote Award for his regulatory work. He also won the
Pete Pederson Award, the highest honor for stewards.

In the 21st century Bowker helped create the Racing
Officials Accreditation Program. In his later years he worked as a steward at
Oaklawn in Arkansas and Hoosier Park in Indiana. He retired from both jobs in
2021.