Larry Demeritte was born into a racing family in the Bahamas, but left for the United States in 1976. A Bahamas connection -- owner-breeder Archie Donaldson -- led him to Kentucky trainer Oscar Dishman and a taste of the big time with Silver Series, who won the Hawthorne, Ohio and American derbies in two months in 1977. Now he has his own shot at The Derby with West Saratoga, a colt he purchased for $11,000 out of the Keeneland fall yearling sales for owner Harry Veruchi. Should Demeritte realize his lifelong Derby dream, he'll be the first black trainer to win the Kentucky Derby since Dudley Allen, with Kingman in 1891. The most recent black trainer to saddle a Derby entry was Hank Allen, whose Northern Wolf was sixth in 1989.
Here, Demeritte talks with the racing media on the backstretch at Churchill Downs on April 29, 2024, just a few days before the Derby.