William Preston Burch (1846 - July 9, 1926) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer. A native of South Carolina, William Burch served as a courier in the Confederate States Army under Lieut. Gen. Wade Hampton III during the American Civil War. At war's end he became involved in the racing of American Quarter Horses at various fairgrounds in the Southern United States. In 1866 he embarked on a career as a professional trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing which led him to work at racetracks along the northeastern seaboard where for many years he owned, trained and raced horses for himself. Among those were Biggonet, who won important races at New York tracks including the 1885 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga Race Course and the 1886 Withers Stakes at Jerome Park Racetrack.