Larry Demeritte, trainer who realized his dream of running a horse in the Kentucky Derby, dies at 75
His wife, Inga, said her husband died Monday night of cardiac arrest after a long battle with cancer, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported Tuesday.
A Bahamas native, Demeritte moved to the United States in 1976 and attended his first Derby the following year, when Seattle Slew won on his way to a Triple Crown sweep.
Demeritte became the second Black trainer since 1951 in the 150th Derby last year. The other, Hank Allen, finished sixth with Northern Wolf in 1989.
'This is truly amazing how we got to this position with this horse,' Demeritte said. 'I'm hopeful people will see our story and become interested in this sport because this horse is proving anyone with a dream can make it to the Derby stage.'
His horse, West Saratoga, finished 12th.
The colt was an $11,000 purchase and the pride of Demeritte's 11-horse stable at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington. West Saratoga went on to earn $473,418 in his 13-race career.
'My motto is, 'I don't buy cheap horses. I buy good horses cheap,'' he said last year.
Demeritte was diagnosed with cancer in 1996 and underwent chemotherapy. His father was a trainer in the Bahamas and Demeritte still carried the accent of his home country, where he was leading trainer for two years.
Demeritte had run horses on the Derby undercard in past years.
'I've been practicing,' he said in 2024. 'I used to pray to get to the Derby. I feel like I am blessed with this horse.'
Demeritte went out on his own as a trainer in 1981 and won 184 races in 2,138 career starts with purse earnings of more than $5.3 million. His last race was May 13, when Mendello finished fourth at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
'We're all so glad and proud that Larry achieved his dream of being in the Kentucky Derby with West Saratoga,' the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association said in a statement.
'It showed yet again that the little guy, with some luck and a lot of skill, can compete with stables with far greater numbers and bankroll. Larry, with his backstory, engaging personality and wide smile, was a terrific ambassador for horse racing, and the industry lost one of its bright lights with his passing.'
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