Page 109 - Speedhorse June 2020

“I pride myself with being able to read my horses. I can read their eyes.”
County or Orange County? And I said, “Orange County.” It’s a lot saner than L.A. I got a lot of bushes around me and it’s pretty private. When Dwayne and I first bought the front house, people said, “Why would you want to move out to the boonies?” We’re probably
30 minutes from the track. And it was all surrounded by orange groves. We took all the oranges out and made horse pens and stuff.
Q: If you could vacation anywhere
on the planet, where would it be and what would you do there?
A: Probably Africa. I took a safari-type tour
to Africa, to south Africa, and went to three different camps and we got to go out and see all the game. Again, the animals. It’s so laidback. We didn’t run into any problems or anything. Africa’s pretty beautiful. That would be my answer.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote and, if so, what is it?
A: One that I say every day at 3:20 and
it’s a Bible verse: “Glory be to God, by His mighty power, at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.” I say that every day ... because my pastor, six years ago, asked us
to set our clocks for 3:20 and pray for—I can’t even remember his name—this pastor that was in jail in Iraq or someplace like that. ...
it just reminds me that God is in control and not to worry about the small stuff, which I try not to do. I meet so many people who get so upset when something happens. My attitude is, there’s nothing you can do about it, so don’t worry about it.
Q: What’s one thing you don’t like about Quarter Horse racing?
A: Match racing. Like when my horses are claimed from me and I never see them again. They’re on Equibase and I never see them again because they’re taken off and match raced, probably until they die. They can give them anything they want to, drugs are free flowing, there’s no rules, no nothing. I hate that. It’s cruel.
Q: What’s one thing you like about Quarter Horse racing?
A: Winning. I love it when my horses do well and they win, regardless of if it’s a big, huge race. That’s fun, too, but I just love it when they go into the gate and break good and run well and they win. It’s just a wonderful feeling. That’s my favorite part, for sure.
Mimi with her family in the winner’s circle after New Look won the El Primero Del Ano Derby at Los Alamitos.
THE LIGHTER SIDE
“I’m not real close to a whole bunch of people, but the Fales, they’re like family. They just bend over backwards to treat my horses like their own.”
Matt Fales trains all Mimi’s starters. Ralph and Carrie Fales
Mimi receiving El Primero Del Ano Derby trophy from Jimmy Harrel.
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