Bob McNair, who owned the NFL’s Houston Texans and was a prominent Thoroughbred breeder and owner through his Stonerside Stable, passed away November 23 after a battle with cancer. He was 81.
A lifetime member of the Texas Thoroughbred Association, McNair earned the TTA’s Allen Bogan Memorial Award as 2003 member of the year. During that year Stonerside Stable, which he owned with his wife, Janice, became the first breeder in recent history to have four Texas-bred stakes winners in a single year with Catalissa, Native Annie, Expectacat and Lx Commander.
Stonerside also succeeded on the national level with Grade 1 winners including Chilukki and Congaree, with the latter now standing at Valor Farm in Texas. The McNairs were also part of the partnership group that stood all-time leading Texas stallion Valid Expectations. The McNairs sold Stonerside in 2008 to focus on the Texans.