Page 95 - Speedhorse May 2019

Q: If you could sit down and visit with anyone, past or present, who would it be?
A: I would love to visit with any of the race- track operators during the 1930s and 1940s. It was a different game and an entirely different industry back then, but I would be fascinated by what has changed in the horse racing business and what hasn’t over that time frame.
Q: What is the strangest personality quirk you have ever seen in a horse? A: I’ve seen a lot of weird quirks. I’m not certain what would qualify for the strangest, but the worst habit I’ve seen developed is
a horse that would continuously turn left coming out of the starting gate. It became a real hazard to the sport, and the horse was eventually barred from racing due to the danger it created on the racetrack.
Q: What is your favorite thing about living where you live?
A: Close to where I grew up and close to my family.
Q: Who’s your favorite athlete of all time, and why?
A: Kirby Puckett was a fantastic baseball player for the Minnesota Twins whose career was cut short due to glaucoma. He provided some of
the best sports memories of my youth in win- ning the 1987 and 1991 World Series with the Minnesota Twins, and his performance in Game 6 1991 was the best sports moment of my life. He played the game hard and had fun every day.
Q: If you were making a movie about yourself, who would you cast to play you, and why?
A: Either Josh Duhamel or Tim Robbins, as those are the two individuals I have been told look most like me over the years.
Q: What drink would your friends describe you as, and why?
A: Whiskey Sour. I tend to be a little rough around the edges and can carry a less than pleasant disposition at times.
Q: What’s one thing you don’t like about Quarter Horse racing?
A: I don’t like that the industry rarely has enough time to develop its star horses. A majority of the best horses are off the track by the end of the three-year-old season . . . it makes it very challenging to develop a strong fan base for the sport without any superstar athletes.
Q: What’s one thing you like about Quarter Horse racing?
A: I still love the raw speed and athletic ability of the animal. Watching them work out in the morning, mature over a season, and show up with a top effort on race day is hard to beat.
Jennifer Perkins, Andrew Offerman, Dan Fick, and Tom Lepic at the 2018 AQHA Racing Workshop during Challenge Championship weekend at Los Alamitos.
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THE LIGHTER SIDE