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industry. It’s been exciting for me; it’s been a passion. It’s turned out to now be a real job for me. It’s great to always have a real job that you’ve got a passion for. It’s been great. I enjoy the construction business. I enjoy building something and seeing the end result and then years later being able to go by and see it still there and functioning. I’ve built cancer centers, dentist’s offices, doctor’s offices, I’ve built lots of houses, and that’s been satisfying for me, but that’s been the one thing that made it so I could have race horses and volunteer to do the things that I’ve done and get me to the point that now I can do this as a living, and finish the rest of my working years doing what I love to do.”
Q: What is your favorite thing about living where you live?
A: It’s always green and there’s lots of trees. But I think the thing I like most about it is, whatever direction you go, there’s something different. I can go west and in an hour and a half,
I can be at the ocean. I can be fishing. I can be sitting on the beach. I can be eating fresh fish and chips. If I go south this time of year, Ashland is 45 minutes away. I can ski on Mt. Ashland. If I want to go to a big city, I can go north and be in Portland in 3 1/2 hours and do anything I want to do. If I want to just get away and go to Eastern Oregon and go elk hunting, that’s three hours away.
I don’t know where you can live that has so many different things
and be in such a beautiful area, and I have horse racing here on top of it.
Q: If you could vacation anywhere on the planet, where would it be and what would you do there?
A: Where I enjoy going the most is Cabo San Lucas. I went there a couple of times, went fishing there, caught a nice 145-pound marlin. I really just enjoy that area. It’s not a place I would live, but I love to go visit.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote and, if so, what is it? A: “Get ‘er done.” In my job
all the time it’s about getting something done. In construction, in the horse racing business, it’s always get it done.
Q: If you could sit down and visit with anyone, past or present, who would
it be?
A: D. Wayne Lukas. His history with race horses—he started out in the Quarter Horse business. He had Dash For Cash and he’s just had a lot of accomplishments. I’ve had the pleasure of listening to him speak, but never got to sit down and talk to him about it.
Q: Who’s your favorite athlete of all time, and why?
A: Joe Montana. I love football. I grew up playing football. I watch football. I remember him out of all players and at the time, he was at the peak of his career, being a quarterback with San Francisco.
Q: What’s one thing you don’t like about Quarter Horse racing?
A: The part that almost got me out of Quarter Horse racing was the abuse of drugs. I am happy
to say I’ve been involved on the level of cleaning that up. That has come a long way and it almost put me completely out of the business. I was disgusted with it. I didn’t ever want to be involved with that end of it. I think it put people
in a position that loved the sport and wanted to compete in the sport and do things they didn’t want to do, but did anyways. Now it’s come around full circle and we have the drug testing and hair testing. I’m not saying it’s completely clean, but way cleaner than it ever used to be. They’re going to pay the consequences now if they get caught trying
to cheat.
Q: What’s one thing
you like about Quarter Horse racing?
A: I love everything about it.
I love the animal. I was in Thoroughbred racing for a
long time, as well as Quarter Horse racing. I never had
quite the excitement with Thoroughbreds as I did the Quarter Horses. I like the muscular horse and the quickness of them. I like their temperament. I sold Quarter Horses that went on to be barrel racers, to be
rope horses, to be cutting
horses after their racing career.
I like the versatility of the Quarter Horse.
THE LIGHTER SIDE
SPEEDHORSE CANADA Spring 2021 37