Owner-breeder Sam English, 80, passes
The Biz
December 2, 2025
Sam Earl English II, DDS, 80, an accomplished dentist and respected Virginia horseman, passed away on November 27, 2025. Known for his integrity, faith, and quiet leadership, Dr. English built a dental practice spanning across central Virginia.
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A graduate of VMI and the Medical College of Virginia, Dr. English served honorably as a Captain in the U.S. Army before returning home to build both his professional career and the family-centered life he treasured.
His deep love of horses grew into English Racing Stables, a thriving racing and breeding operation with farms in Goochland, Dinwiddie, and Charles Town. According to Equibase, he earned his first victories as an owner in 2003, and over the next two decades his runners won 141 races and collected nearly $3.5 million in earnings.
Among his top runners was the multiple stakes winner Chambeau, who captured the Tyson Gilpin Stakes at Colonial Downs in her debut and went on to earn $418,900. He also owned eight other six-figure earners.
Dr. English is survived by his daughters, Allison English Watkins and Stacey Elizabeth English; his grandchildren, Stan, Monty, and Drew Watkins; and his siblings, along with extended family and many close friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Virginia Thoroughbred Project.
The family will receive friends from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, December 7, at the Mechanicsville Chapel of Bennett Funeral Home, 8014 Lee-Davis Road. A funeral service will be held at 9:30 a.m. Monday, December 8, at The Episcopal Church of the Creator, 7159 Mechanicsville Turnpike. Entombment will follow in Signal Hill Memorial Park. For more information, his obituary is here.
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