Andrew McKeever

When my Grandfather Vincent was asked to go to Canada by “The Platinum King” to see a son of Ribot at the sales, he did not like him but saw a son a Northern Dancer. The rest is history….

What a stud. You the man, Scottie!

An important note about a man named Red Dog Gary “Red Dog” Hartlage is the reason I love horse racing. After giving his life to the sport, this meet at Oaklawn will likely be his last as a horse trainer. And if he’s to be believed, he will not take a stall this year at Churchill Downs since the 1970s. If true, it’s fitting that his final time saddling one will be in Hot Springs, a place he has always loved. My brother Taylor and I grew up with Red Dog in the old second floor bar at Churchill Downs. Red Dog, as he did with everyone, welcomed us into his Shively, KY family. Timmy, Jennifer, Judy, Dicky, Buzz, Woodchuck, Jess, Giles, Jeff, Harper, Big Steve, Grego, Jack (and Mama), Phil, Cliff, Randy, Chris, Charlie Nash… too many to name them all, but they adopted us and our family. He trained for my parents for over 30 years, give or take. And train a horse, he could. First, more than anything, his love for the horse is truly special. With confidence, I will say that there is not a single barn in the world where the horse is more loved and the Bud Light is that cold. Doggy worked his ass off though, and he was a hell of a horse trainer and still is. Through the years, it brought him a lot of success in the Midwest culminating with horses like Judge TC, On Fire Baby, Savings, Cyclone Mountain (barn favorite) and many others. When it comes to family, friends and his team at the doghouse, he’s never been anything but uncompromisingly loyal. Sam, Leonard, Bobby, Belmont to name a few of the staples that held the doghouse together.. wish I could name all the people that have worked on horses for him. He loves them all. Perhaps most importantly, it would be irresponsible to mention Doggy without Joe Johnson. “Jockey Joe” and Red Dog linked up in the late 1980s and the professional marriage lasted until 2024. Joe rode virtually every starter for the barn over a 30+ year span. I remember Pat Day walking into the paddock to ride one for Dog when I was a kid, and he remarked, “this is the hardest call to get in horse racing.” Joe, I think, was hurt at the time. Their careers essentially mirrored each other, won together and lost together, rose together and fell together. And I don’t think either would change a thing. And so we potentially say goodbye to this incredible guy, 57 years after taking out his trainers license, at 78 years young. I wish I could convey the importance of Red Dog to me personally. His perspective on life is close to flawless. I’ve learned learned so much from him, and anyone who knows him is better for it. He’s the reason I know people like Stan Hough, and knew people like Robert “Country” Roberts. I’ve never met a better person, and I’ve never met anyone like him. He wouldn’t want the attention or fanfare probably, I imagine he’d like to go quietly back to Shively and grab a cold bud light at Otts when he gets back from Oaklawn, but I can’t let him do that without celebrating his great career and his great contribution to this sport. Gary “Red Dog” Hartlage, one of a kind, one of the greats and my favorite horse trainer of all time. Cheers Doggy, I love you my man. ❤️🙌🏼🍺🍺🍺🍺