Page 98 - September 2015

“The baseball stadium is now named in his honor - “Pat Patterson Park.”
by John Moorehouse
Ever since he attended his first race at the young age of 6 years old, horse racing has been a lifelong interest for Tony Patterson. In 2008,
Patterson joined the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association as assistant director. Now, Patterson is the executive director of the organiza- tion. It’s an important position, especially when considering the nationwide prominence of Louisiana tracks like Delta Downs and Fair Grounds.
Patterson’s interests aren’t limited to the track, however. He comes from a family with an impressive sporting legacy, and he’s got a passion for football. Learn more about Tony Patterson here.
Q: Where were you born?
A: I was born in Delhi, Louisiana. Delhi is a very small town in northeast Louisiana in Richland Parish.
Q: What are your hobbies outside of horse racing?
A: I enjoy spending time with my wife Melanie and our dog Gladiator. I am a Louisiana Tech University alum and I attend as many home football games as
I can in Ruston during the season. I do know that I watch way too much football, baseball and golf on TV.
Q: What is your favorite movie, and why?
A: “Sling Blade”. Although it is a sad movie, it has some really funny parts. Billy Bob Thornton did an amazing job with his character. What stood out to me is that the very last thing you hear from each of the four co-stars is... “Karl?”
Q: Give an interesting fact about your family.
A: My wife Melanie was born in England and she still has family there. My dad was the baseball coach at Louisiana Tech from 1968 through 1990. During that time, his teams won a total of 741 games. The baseball stadium is now named in his honor – “Pat Patterson Park.”
Q: Do you have a nickname and, if so, what is it and how did it come about?
A: “Bullwinkle”, although it never stuck. When I worked in the racing office at the New Orleans Fair Grounds 30 years ago, Ms. Laurel in the racing office decided I needed a nickname and that’s the one
she came up with. I think she saw “The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show” on TV one morning before coming to work. Ever since then, my good friend Ramon Muniz
[Fair Grounds paddock judge] has always called me that, so I guess it did stick with him. Most sadly, Ramon passed away suddenly back in January. I miss hearing his voice on the other end of the phone with a boisterous “How’s Bullwinkle?” Ramon had a daily, monthly and weekly list of people he called and with his long list of friends, I was honored to make it on his weekly call list.
Q: If you were not in the horse racing business, what job would you like to have? A: Offensive play calling in college and pro football
has always really interested me and maybe with a lot of luck I could’ve eventually been an offensive coordinator somewhere. I really enjoy dealing with numbers and statistics, so something along the lines of an insurance actuary may have been a possibility, too. However, any job working in the racing industry is by far the best!
Q: What is your favorite thing about living where you live?
A: The very best thing about living in the thriving metropolis of Woodworth, Louisiana, is Halloween!
It’s like old-school Halloween where on average we get between 150 to 250 trick-or-treaters. We get a lot of hayrides with about 15 kids at a time trick-or-treating. We give out good candy and small bottles of cold Sunny Delight and water for the kids running from house to
TONY PATTERSON
96 SPEEDHORSE, September 2015
THE LIGHTER SIDE