Respected racing administrator Andrew Ramsden has died a day after he suffered a stroke at the Thousand Guineas meeting at Caulfield.

Ramsden, who would have turned 79 next month, was also a prolific owner whose big-race wins included the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups with Gurner's Lane.

The former Victoria Racing Club chairman was a guest in the Melbourne Racing Club committee room on Wednesday when he suffered a stroke and was taken to hospital.

He died on Thursday.

Racing Victoria chairman Robert Roulston described Ramsden as "a visionary and true icon of the Victorian racing industry".

"The Victorian racing industry is saddened at the loss of Andrew Ramsden who has left an indelible mark on the sport in this state and abroad as a legendary administrator and a highly successful owner," Roulston said.

"As the then-VRC Chairman, Andrew was instrumental in the establishment of Racing Victoria in 2001 to allow the industry to prosper and his efforts in doing so will be long remembered."

Ramsden, a stockbroker, was a part-owner of the Caulfield Cup winner Paris Lane and the well-performed stayer Niwot among many others.

The VRC renamed the Duke Of Norfolk Stakes in his honour, the race now being known as the Andrew Ramsden Stakes.