Page 144 - February_2023

EASY DATE
1974 All American Futurity Winner
by Scott Wells
142 SPEEDHORSE February 2023
Jockey Donnie Knight aboard Easy Date
Upon meeting James McArthur, one wouldn’t suspect that he was a two-time winning trainer of the All American Futurity-G1, nor
that he had earned millions of dollars with victories in other races such as the All American Derby-G1, the Rainbow Futurity-G1, the Rainbow Derby-G1 and the Champion of Champions-G1. There is nothing ostentatious about him. McArthur is about as humble and
unassuming a man as you will find. About the only time you will find him on the grandstand side of the racetrack
is when he has a horse to saddle. The rest of the time you will find him at his barn,
“She would just do what she had to do to win.”
-Donnie Knight
watching and studying the horses of his small- to-medium size stable, fretting like a mother hen over their every need, their every comfort.
How, then, did important prospective clients discover him? Slowly, at first, because the soft-spoken trainer was not to be found hanging around the Vessels Room or the All American Turf Club. However, when you are unexpectedly hired by one of the most respected breeders, owners and trainers of all time, people quickly notice. And then if you have success for that owner, more and better horses will find their way to your stable. That’s how it happened for James McArthur,
James McArthur
© Nabb & Hopkins Photography
© Speedhorse Archives