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Q: Where were you born?
A: Born and raised right here in Elk City, Oklahoma.
Q: Got any hobbies outside of horse racing?
A: Not really, to be honest. Our hobby is going to the races and watching the races.
Q: What is your favorite movie, and why?
A: Any John Wayne one. He was much better in all of his Westerns than some of those others he tried to do.
Q: What’s an interesting fact about your family?
A: Probably the biggest thing about our family is, we’re extremely competitive in everything we do. My parents have shown English Bulldogs for forever. I was in FFA (Future Farmers of America). I had the grand Champion steer in Oklahoma City in 1982. My two boys that
we raised, I like to say, they became pro sheep showmen when they were in school. One of them works for a feed company; he is the person everyone calls about show sheep.”
Q: Do you have a nickname and, if so, what is it and how did it come about? A: I’ve got one buddy, he’s a Quarter Horse buyer and cow buyer and a friend all my life. A long time ago, he nicknamed me Gus after the Lonesome Dove character.
Q: What is the strangest personality quirk you have ever seen in a horse? A: We had this mare, First Place Queen, who loved to play with her tongue. She’d play with it for hours. Every time they put a bit in her mouth, they would have to tie her tongue. It was very annoying for the trainer at the time, John Bassett.
Q: What is your favorite thing about living where you live?
A: Well, not the weather. The people. Everybody’s friendly. Meet somebody driving down the road, 90 percent of them give you a wave. Very honest as a group, and pretty trustworthy.
Lake (standing second from left) with fellow OQHRA board members Phillip Stewart, Jeff Tebow and Butch Wise, along with Matt Witman and Bob Newcomb
THE LIGHTER SIDE
Newcomb and the OQHRA board are doing what they can to keep races going . . .
Q: If you could vacation anywhere on the planet, where would it be & what would you do there?
A: We went to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, two years ago. My wife and I might like to go
to Montana. She thinks she wants to go to Australia, but I don’t think I can ride in a plane that far.
Q: If you could sit down and visit with anyone, past or present, who would it be?
A: My dad’s dad, my grandfather. We were super close. I’d go there for weeks in the summertime. He’s the one who taught me how to drive a tractor. I’d like to be able to say hi again.
Q: What drink would your friends describe you as, and why?
A: Crown Royal and water, because that’s what I drink.
Q: Who’s your favorite athlete of all time, and why?
A: Baker Mayfield. I’ll get static over that, but I think he’s a good guy. A lot of people don’t think so, but I think he’s a good- hearted person.
Q: What’s one thing you don’t like about Quarter Horse racing?
A: The polite way to put it, I would say, is the rule breakers. And that’s unfortunately where we fight it every day trying to put a stop to it. But it’s an uphill battle.
Q: What’s one thing you like about Quarter Horse racing?
A: The people. I like to visit with the people. They’re always willing to help. We learned that from our experience with the tornado.
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