Frieda Stronach, wife of Frank Stronach and co-founder of Stronach Stables and Adena Springs Farm, died March 25 in Canada, according to a report from Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung. She was 80.
Born Elfriede Sallmutter in Weiz, Austria, she had been a dedicated horse advocate alongside her husband, whom she had been married to for 60 years after meeting on a ski trip.
Among the top Stronach Stables homebreds are Hall of Famer Ghostzapper, 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Awesome Again, and multiple grade 1 winner Shaman Ghost . They also became a co-owner of multiple grade 1 winner Mucho Macho Man before his final start.
In 2004, Frieda started the Adena Springs Retirement program at her and Frank's Aurora, Ontario, farm. The program was geared toward re-training the farm's retired racehorses.
She was known to return to her hometown often.
"Frieda was an impressive woman, always very modest, down-to-earth and approachable," Helmut Kienreich, the former mayor of Weiz who also attended elementary and secondary school with Frieda, told the newspaper.
Frieda and her husband had two children together: Belinda, chairwoman and CEO of 1/ST, and Andrew, as well as three grandchildren.
According to the Daily Racing Form, the Stronach family will be "holding a private funeral and internment service" and "in lieu of flowers, a memorial donation to the Stronach Regional Cancer Centre at Southlake Regional Health Centre is preferred."
