Henry Tompkins “Duffy” Rathbun, a passionate Thoroughbred race horse breeder and owner, died on March 19 from complications following a heart attack. He was 87.

Mr. Rathbun was born in Elmira, N.Y., and graduated from Amherst College (Mass.) in 1944 before serving on a U.S. Navy destroyer escort in World War II. He then attended law school at the University of Virginia but skipped his last classes to go to the races in Charles Town, W.Va., on a blind date, where he met his future wife, Sheilah. He graduated in 1948.