Walter Haefner
Encyclopedia
Walter Haefner is a businessman and a Thoroughbred
racehorse owner/breeder in Ireland
. He was born in Switzerland
.
As a young man, Walter Haefner went to work in the auto industry as an employee of the Swiss division of General Motors Corporation
. He eventually moved to England
where he acquired an automobile franchise before returning home to open a Volkswagen
dealership. Recognizing the important role a computer could play in his growing chain of dealerships, in 1957 Haefner became one of the first in Switzerland to import an IBM
system for business use. This led to his 1964 creation of Automation Center A.G., a computer services company in Zurich
. In 1976 he expanded operations to the United States
and after merging his company with Russell Artzt
's and Charles Wang
's Computer Associates in 1987, Haefner is today the company's largest individual shareholder. He owns AMAG Automobil- und Motoren
, a highly successful Swiss automobile dealership chain. As of 2010, at age 100, he is the oldest person worth more than a billion dollars.
, County Kildare
, in Ireland
. His Thoroughbred
racehorses
have won numerous Group One
and British Classic Races in England, Ireland, and France as well as important races at other venues in Europe
, North America
, Japan
, Australia
, and Hong Kong
.
In the United States, Moyglare's racing stable was handled by trainer
Christophe Clement
while Dermot K. Weld is the trainer in charge of its European operations. In 1991, Weld became the first European-based trainer to win a race in Hong Kong when Molyglare's colt Additional Risk won the Hong Kong Invitational Bowl
at Sha Tin Racecourse
.
In 1975, the Curragh Racecourse
honored Moyglare's contribution to Irish racing by naming a Group I race the Moyglare Stud Stakes
. In 1988, Trinity College, Dublin
awarded Walter Haefner an Honorary
Doctorate
for his services to the Irish bloodstock industry and for his contributions to education in Ireland.
Selective major race wins by some of the horses owned or bred by Moyglare Stud Farm:
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse owner/breeder in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He was born in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
As a young man, Walter Haefner went to work in the auto industry as an employee of the Swiss division of General Motors Corporation
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
. He eventually moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where he acquired an automobile franchise before returning home to open a Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
dealership. Recognizing the important role a computer could play in his growing chain of dealerships, in 1957 Haefner became one of the first in Switzerland to import an IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
system for business use. This led to his 1964 creation of Automation Center A.G., a computer services company in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. In 1976 he expanded operations to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and after merging his company with Russell Artzt
Russell Artzt
Russell M. Artzt Co-founded Computer Associates International, Inc. with Charles B. Wang. While Russ was working at the Electronic Laboratories, in the 1960s, of Columbia University he met Charles Wang. They became friends and later both joined Standard Data...
's and Charles Wang
Charles Wang
Charles B. Wang is the co-founder of Computer Associates International, Inc. and owner of the New York Islanders ice hockey team and their AHL affiliates, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers....
's Computer Associates in 1987, Haefner is today the company's largest individual shareholder. He owns AMAG Automobil- und Motoren
AMAG Automobil- und Motoren
AMAG Automobil- und Motoren AG is a Swiss car importer and dealer for Audi, Volkswagen, Skoda, SEAT and until about mid-2008 Porsche cars founded on January 3, 1945, by Walter Haefner.-Structure:...
, a highly successful Swiss automobile dealership chain. As of 2010, at age 100, he is the oldest person worth more than a billion dollars.
Moyglare Stud Farm
In 1962 Walter Haefner purchased the 440 acres (1.8 km²) Moyglare Stud Farm near the town of MaynoothMaynooth
Maynooth is a town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to a branch of the National University of Ireland, a Papal University and Ireland's main Roman Catholic seminary, St. Patrick's College...
, County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. His Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorses
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
have won numerous Group One
Group One
Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...
and British Classic Races in England, Ireland, and France as well as important races at other venues in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
In the United States, Moyglare's racing stable was handled by trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
Christophe Clement
Christophe Clement
Christophe Clement is a Thoroughbred horse trainer in the United States.- Racing background :Christophe Clement initially acquired his training skills from father Miguel, a leading trainer in France, Christophe later worked for the prominent French racing family of trainer Alec Head...
while Dermot K. Weld is the trainer in charge of its European operations. In 1991, Weld became the first European-based trainer to win a race in Hong Kong when Molyglare's colt Additional Risk won the Hong Kong Invitational Bowl
Hong Kong Mile
The Hong Kong Mile is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in mid December....
at Sha Tin Racecourse
Sha Tin Racecourse
Sha Tin Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin in the New Territories. It is managed by Hong Kong Jockey Club.Penfold Park is encircled by the track.-History:...
.
In 1975, the Curragh Racecourse
Curragh Racecourse
The Curragh Racecourse, usually abbreviated to The Curragh, is Ireland's most important Thoroughbred race track. It is situated on the Curragh plain near Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland.- History :...
honored Moyglare's contribution to Irish racing by naming a Group I race the Moyglare Stud Stakes
Moyglare Stud Stakes
The Moyglare Stud Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late August or early September.The event is named after its long-term sponsor,...
. In 1988, Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
awarded Walter Haefner an Honorary
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
Doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
for his services to the Irish bloodstock industry and for his contributions to education in Ireland.
Selective major race wins by some of the horses owned or bred by Moyglare Stud Farm:
- Additional Risk - Hong Kong BowlHong Kong MileThe Hong Kong Mile is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in mid December....
- Again Tomorrow - Premio ParioliPremio ParioliThe Premio Parioli, sometimes referred to as the Italian 2,000 Guineas, is a Group 3 flat horse race in Italy which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts. It is run at Capannelle, Rome, over a distance of 1,600 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in April.The event was...
- AssertAssert (horse)Assert was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who won four Group One races. Impeccably bred by Walter Haefner's Moyglare Stud, he was purchased and raced by Britain's then leading owner, Robert Sangster....
- Prix du Jockey ClubPrix du Jockey ClubThe Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
, Irish Derby StakesIrish Derby StakesThe Irish Derby is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late June or early July.It is Ireland's equivalent of the Epsom Derby,... - Bikala - Prix du Jockey Club, Prix GanayPrix GanayThe Prix Ganay is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,100 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late April or early May....
- Brief Truce - St. James's Palace StakesSt. James's Palace StakesThe St. James's Palace Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
- Carwhite - Prix d'IspahanPrix d'IspahanThe Prix d'Ispahan is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,850 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in May.-History:...
- Dance Design - Irish OaksIrish OaksThe Irish Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July....
, Pretty Polly Stakes (2), Tattersalls Gold CupTattersalls Gold CupThe Tattersalls Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 110 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in May.... - Definite Article - Tattersalls Gold CupTattersalls Gold CupThe Tattersalls Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 110 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in May....
, National StakesNational StakesThe National Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.... - Dress To Thrill - Matriarch StakesMatriarch StakesThe Matriarch Stakes is an American Grade I turf race for thoroughbred horses run annually at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California for a purse of $250,000...
, Matron StakesMatron Stakes (Ireland)The Matron Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland which is open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September....
, Sun Chariot StakesSun Chariot StakesThe Sun Chariot Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late September or early October.The... - Go And GoGo And GoGo And Go was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning an American Classic race. Owned and bred by Swiss businessman, Walter Haefner, Go And Go was bred at his Moyglare Stud Farm in Maynooth, County Kildare...
- Belmont StakesBelmont StakesThe Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds... - Market Booster - Pretty Polly Stakes, Bayerisches ZuchtrennenBayerisches ZuchtrennenThe Bayerisches Zuchtrennen is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Munich over a distance of 2,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August....
- Media PuzzleMedia PuzzleMedia Puzzle , foaled in the United States was an Irish horse bred by Walter Haefner's Moyglare Stud Farm and owned by Dr. M. W. Smurfit. He was sired by Theatrical, the 1987 U.S. Champion Male Turf Horse, and out of the mare Market Slide by Gulch, the 1988 U.S. Champion Sprint Horse...
- Melbourne CupMelbourne CupThe Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races... - Refuse To BendRefuse To BendRefuse To Bend is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse. He was owned by Swiss businessman Walter Haefner and was bred at his Moyglare Stud Farm near the town of Maynooth, County Kildare, in Ireland...
- 2,000 Guineas, National StakesNational StakesThe National Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September....
, Eclipse StakesEclipse StakesThe Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 7 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early July.-History:The event is named after Eclipse, a...
, Queen Anne StakesQueen Anne StakesThe Queen Anne Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.... - Relaxed GestureRelaxed GestureRelaxed Gesture is a thoroughbred racehorse known for winning the $2 million Canadian International Stakes in 2005. A chestnut stallion, he was bred and raced by Walter Haefner's Moyglare Stud Farm...
- Canadian International StakesCanadian International StakesThe Canadian International Stakes is a $2 million Grade I Canadian stakes race on Turf for thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and up held annually in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.... - Stanerra - Japan CupJapan CupThe is the most prestigious horse race run in Japan. It is contested at the end of November at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters over the grass. With a purse of ¥476 million , the Japan Cup is one of the richest races in the world.The Japan Cup is an invitational event...
- Trusted Partner - Irish 1,000 Guineas
- Twilight Agenda - won Meadowlands Cup, San Pasqual HandicapSan Pasqual HandicapThe San Pasqual Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the first part of January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...
, Del Mar Breeders' Cup Mile. Career earnings of US$2,177,843
See also
- List of billionaires