Page 167 - September 2019

It’s fair to say that Sumpter’s favorite trainer he ever worked with, however, is LaRae Sumpter...his wife. After Sumpter retired as a jockey, he and his wife moved to southern California, where LaRae trained several horses for JoAnn Patton. Sumpter still spent time aboard horses – galloping at Santa Anita and Del Mar and working as an outrider at San Luis Rey Downs – until his back gave out on him.
From California, the Sumpters went back
to New Mexico and opened the Cross 5 Ranch. Since then, Sumpter has brought in a partner on the ranch – his friends Bill and Nancy Noeske. Sadly, Sumpter’s wife, LaRae, died suddenly in April of 2017.
“She’s buried up here at the ranch,” Sumpter said. “She was my rock. We were through a lot of ups and downs and thrills and spills and the whole ball of wax. She was always there for me.
“Now we’re moving forward: take care of this ranch, take care of the cattle, my dog, my horses.”
The ranch is isolated – his nearest neighbor is 10 miles away – but, he spends plenty of time on the phone catching up with old friends. Occasionally, he’ll even watch a race or two on TV. Sumpter also got to take part in what he described as a family reunion of sorts when he attended the memorial for legendary jockey Jerry Nicodemus earlier this year.
“There’s a lot of new people on the track
I don’t even know. My old friends, they know where we come from, what we started and what we did,” Sumpter said. “Thank God they never have forgot.”
And so the Oklahoman, who started out working on the ranch of the Merrick family, is now back on a ranch – his own.
“It’s been a hell of a ride,” Sumpter said. “I met all the greatest people in the world at the racetrack. It’s one big family.
“Like an old cowboy says to the other one, boy, we made a big circle, didn’t we?”
Classy Comment and Gary Sumpter return after their victory in the 1990 West Texas Maturity-G2
at Sunland Park.
SPEEDHORSE, September 2019 165
It’s fair to say that Sumpter’s favorite trainer he ever worked withwas his wife LaRae who sadly passed suddenly in 2017.
Gary Sumpter and Blinkers Off after their win in the 1977 Blue Ribbon Futurity at Blue Ribbon Downs.
Gary & LaRae Sumpter with their mare Pattonforadance.