John Salzman, Sr., who trained champion Xtra Heat, passed away Monday. He was 81.Salzman started his training career in 1978, achieved his first victory in 1979, and retired in 2025 with a record of 828 wins and $16,037,554 in purse earnings.His best horse was Xtra Heat, whom he purchased as a yearling for $5,000 and raced in partnership with Kenneth Taylor and Harry Deitchman. The filly won 11 graded stakes races, including the 2001 GI Prioress Stakes and was named that year's champion 3-year-old filly after finishing a close second in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. She was third in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen the following year.On the board in 33 of 35 starts, Xtra Heat won 26 races and earned $2,389,635. She was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2015.Salzman was known for his prowess with 2-year-old runners. In a 1994 Daily Racing Form piece, Tom Atwell wrote that Salzman “got his start in Maryland racing circles rubbing horses for the late Tex Anderson. Then, 25 years ago, he began winning races on his own. A few years later, [he] began going to Florida every winter to buy 2-year-olds. [He knew] talent when [he] saw it. First winners, then stakes-winners.”Salzman's training legacy lives on through his family. His son, John Salzman Jr., is a successful trainer based in Maryland. His daughter-in-law, Megan, won her first race as a trainer on Sept. 13. Megan is the widow of Salzman Sr.'s son, Tim, who passed away earlier this year after a long, brave battle with cancer.The post John Salzman Sr. Passes Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.