On the backside, there are more stories than one can count. You can pass the barns of trainers filled to the brim with great stock and loaded for bear. Others have just enough to get by. The rest just kinda hang in the balance and hope for a win. It is the difference of bologna or a fast food burger….

Larry has been in the business for fifty years. He was a solid trainer in the late 70’s, and there was a fire that wiped out his barn and five others.. It was tragic, and he has never found his way back…

He has a HUGE horse trailer that is parked near barn 14. He has a storage area that he has fashioned into a large bedroom / living area. He has a TV, and a clean space. His horses are few. Five in total, and he loves them like his children. The are fed better than he eats, and his tack room doubles as an office and feed-room.

Larry knows his game. He is one of the best feet men on the track. Ask anyone who can remember when they had to visit Larry for help… Many others take good care of their friend. A bale of hay here, case of beer there..Anything he needs…

He has shown me a “magic” poultice that can take the heat out of any ankle or joint. It was used by his mother, who was raised in the Indian country as a child. He won’t tell the secret, so don’t bother asking. He can shoe horses, or know what is wrong with them before they show any signs.  Yep, you can say he is an old-time horseman…..

He travels between Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana…He usually hits the board, and you can always count on his runners at the windows. On the average, he wins about 15 races a year. This keeps him comfortable, and his horses ready to run. He asks for little, and is a friend for all…. He knows more about feet and tendons. He knows more about what a horse is thinking, and you may feel he could have been the horse whisperer…

I love to see his horses run, and how he always is ready to lend a hand to others. He invited me back for beer and chicken on his large grill. You could smell the smoke a mile away. He was sitting there drinking a light beer, and had a cooler full for our dinner. Nothing better than sitting with a friend eating chicken and drinking beer. It was during our conversation, that he told me his secret. It is as old as the hills, and high as the clouds… Get up early, and put your horses before yourself.. Feed them well, and get to know them. Don’t worry about the win, it will take care of itself…You know it has worked for over fifty years, and no sense changing now.