LEXINGTON, Ky. — For the first time in 35 years and only the second time since 1951, a Black trainer will have a horse in the Kentucky Derby. Lexington-based trainer Larry Demeritte will make history Saturday at the 150th Kentucky Derby.

What You Need To Know

  • Larry Demeritte will become the first Black trainer to have a horse in the Kentucky Derby since 1989 

  • Demeritte began training horses in the Bahamas and moved to the U.S. in the 1970s

  • West Saratoga is a three-year-old gray colt. Jockey Jesus Castanon will have the mount

  • West Saratoga qualified for the Run for the Roses by placing second in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Stakes at Turfway Park in March

At over 70 years old, Demeritte still finds passion in his job. The Bahamian native turned Kentuckian has been training racehorses for as long as he can remember. Currently he trains 12 horses at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington.

“I just have a love for these horses and the challenge they put you through to see if you can get the best out of them,” Demeritte said.

Now, the veteran trainer and his three-year-old gray colt, West Saratoga, are preparing for the biggest race, the Kentucky Derby. Demeritte is the first Black trainer in the Run for the Roses since 1989.

“I feel really honored to be able to represent the Caribbean. That is the coolest thing for me to represent my country and all the islands for something positive,” Demeritte said.

Demeritte’s interest in horse training began in the Bahamas with his father. He moved to the United States in the 1970s and quickly settled in Kentucky, the thoroughbred capital of the world. It has been the perfect fit.

“I’ve been blessed quite a bit by being in Kentucky. I’ve met really good people, the horse sales; they always say people come from all over the world to buy horses in Kentucky. I don’t need to go nowhere else,” Demeritte said.

Perhaps his biggest win is in the race of life. Demeritte was diagnosed with bone cancer in 1996 and has a rare organ disease. In 2018, doctors gave him six months to live, but he’s still here, waking up at 5 a.m. to train the horses he loves and says keeps him going along with his faith.

“Early day? That’s every day, besides Sunday. I don’t train on Sundays, that’s my day off, that’s my church day,” Demeritte said.

West Saratoga qualified for the Derby by finishing second in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Stakes in March at Turfway Park. Demeritte purchased the horse for its owner for $11,000 at a Keeneland auction in 2022.

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