Thoroughbred › Trainers

Lou Cavalaris Jr., born in Hamilton, Ohio, could have become a short order cook shortly after serving in the Merchant Marine during World War II. Instead Lou was cooking up a career in racing. And what a career he concocted.

After starting his backstretch life at Detroit Racecourse, in 1946 Lou moved to Toronto, where he didn't take long establishing himself as a trainer to watch directing peter Del Greco's gritty War Eagle to many stakes successes.

But his greatest years came in partnership with George Gardiner. "Big Lou" as he is affectionately nicknamed, orchestrated Gardiner Farm horses to eight leading money winning titles in 11 years. In 1976, Gardiner Farm horses, under Cavalaris's training won an unprecedented $639,816, more that $100,000 more than the previous record in Canada also set by Cavalaris and Gardiner. In those days, with small purses, that figure was unheard of.

Lou Cavalaris was leading trainer-races-won-in 1966, '69, '70, '72, '73 and 1976. In 1966, Lou was crowned North America's best He topped all trainers by winning 175 races, ending a three-year grasp on that title by New York's Howard "Buddy" Jacobson. He was third leading trainer, races won, in North America in 1967 and 1968, too, winning 164 and 151 races, respectively.

In 1978, Lou traded in his work boots for an office desk. He became the highly respected Racing Secretary for The Ontario Jockey Club. After 10 years in that demanding role, Lou couldn't resist the urge to train horses again. He returned to the shedrow at Woodbine and is training horses, again with George Gardiner as one of his clients, today.

He won the Kentucky Derby with Peter Fuller's grey, Dancers Image only to have the horse disqualified from the money when traces of Butazolidin were found in the urine. Cavalaris and Fuller, to this day, feel the Butazolidin, which is legal today in Kentucky racing, was placed in the feed by persons unknown who were angry with Fuller's stand on civil rights in the U.S.

Cavalaris has trained some of Canada's outstanding horses, among them Victorian Era, Champion three-year old in 1965, and Horse of the Year in Canada in 1966, brilliant filly champion, Ice Water; Champion grass horse, Carneys Point' and ill-fated Cool Reception.

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