Trainer Larry Demeritte Passes Away

[Wandering Eyes]

Larry Demeritte, whose inspiring story of battling cancer and making it to the 2024 GI Kentucky Derby captivated racing, passed away Tuesday evening after a lengthy battle with blood cancer. He was 75.

A native of the Bahamas, Demeritte was the first Black trainer to saddle a horse in the race for 35 years.

Demeritte's father was a trainer in the Bahamas and his son was often at his side when he was running or training horses. Demeritte said that he watched the Kentucky Derby every year on television and that is what inspired him to come to the U.S. to train.

With the dream of someday running in the Kentucky Derby, he moved to the U.S. in 1976 and began training in 1991. He made that dream come true when he saddled West Saratoga (Exaggerator) in last year's Derby. The horse finished 12th, but Demeritte was fond of telling people that just making it to the Derby was a huge accomplishment.

“It was incredible,” said family friend Tony Wilson. “Larry used to talk about when he was a kid in the Bahamas and watched the Derby on TV. He said his goal was to one day run in a Triple Crown race. That horse getting to the Derby was very instrumental in keeping him going. He was an incredible, incredible guy.”

West Saratoga was an unlikely candidate to take his trainer to the Derby. Demeritte bought him as a yearling at Keeneland September for just $11,000.

“I have champagne tastes with a beer budget,” he often told reporters.

But West Saratoga was not your average $11,000 horse. He broke his maiden in his fifth career start and then won the GIII Iroquois S. at Churchill Downs. With a third-place finish in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. and a second-place finish in the Jeff Ruby Steaks S. as a 3-year-old, he had amassed enough points to get into the Derby.

Demeritte was very religious, which came in handy while he was battling his illness.

“I never leave my house without giving thanks in the morning,” he told NBC prior to the Derby. “Just waking up is a gift and that is very important to me.”

During the same interview he talked of how his daily routine and his love for his horses and the sport, kept him going.

“Why lay in bed and feel sorry for yourself when you can watch a horse gallop around the track. That gives you a rush you can't get anywhere else,” he said.

Wilson said that Demeritte was surrounded by friends and relatives when he passed away.

“He went peacefully, Wilson said. “As sad as it was, Larry was prepared to meet his maker. He was a very religious guy. I don't know anybody who had a bad word to say about him.  There was no reason to. He was such a good guy and a very dear friend of mine, as he was with a ton of people.”

Thanks to a horse named Maximus Pride (Maximus Mischief), it looked like Demeritte might return to the Derby in 2026. Maximus Prime ran second in the Kentucky Juvenile S. in his most recent effort.

Demeritte had 184 winners from 2,138 starters.

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