by Jay Hochstetler
Lexington, KY — William James “Billy” Carroll, 54, died July 26, 2017, in Columbus, Ohio.
He was born in Wilmington, Del., on July 31, 1962. He graduated from William Tennent High School and went on to study economics at Mercer County Community College.
As a teenager, Mr. Carroll developed his love for harness racing working alongside his father and grandfather. Mr. Carroll’s father, Bill Carroll, operated a stable racing at Brandywine and Liberty Bell for 30 years. His grandfather, Weldon Carroll, trained horses for Norman Woolworth’s Clearview Stable for more than 20 years.
Mr. Carroll furthered his training acumen working under famous banners of the industry such as Brett Pelling, Fashion Farms, and George Berkner. For the last 10 years, Mr. Carroll worked as an assistant trainer for Ohio-based trainer Mike Medors. Mr. Carroll operated the Canadian division of Medors’ stable for several years with notable success.
Mr. Carroll had a love for Canada and Canadian harness racing stemming from his family originating from Nova Scotia.
He was well-known and loved by the Pinehurst, N.C., Standardbred community. His jovial demeanor, excellent culinary skills, and friendship will be dearly missed by the winter training center’s community.
He is survived by his parents, Bill and Blanche; and was preceded in death by his grandmother, Rita Young.