Trainer Frank Lucarelli saddled his 2,000th career winner on Sunday when he sent out River Kat to win the fourth race at Lone Star Park. The 3-year-old Washington-bred filly by Dontmesswithkitten won the $7,500 maiden claimer by a nose under Jansen Melancon. One race later on the Lone Star card, Lucarelli got his 2,001st winner with Sargent Kline, and in Sunday's fifth race at Emerald Downs, Lucarelli notched number 2,002 with Ms Parkside.
Lucarelli, 65, has training operations in both Washington and Texas. He notched his first career victory in Washington State in 1979, and ranks first in wins at Emerald Downs and has seven training titles at the Auburn track.
The trainer spoke with Eli Sports Network, the leader of High School Sports coverage in Southwest Washington, after the victory.
“This day didn't seem very possible the first year I was training, because I was wondering if I was going to get enough horses to be doing this job,” Lucarelli said. “My first win ever was at Portland Meadows. I had one horse, and I lived in a little travel trailer. I probably over-trained her; she was probably ready to run a month before I ran her! I won that race the first time I ran her, and after that I took quite a while to get to my second win.
“It's an eye-opener right away; this business is tough. Anybody that's done it knows it… I've been fortunate to have clients that have stuck with me through a lot of years.”
According to a story on the Western Washington University website, Lucarelli was born in New York but the family moved to Washington state when he was just three years old. His father became part-owner of a horse stabled at Longacres in Renton, Wash., and Lucarelli would join his father every Saturday for trips to the racetrack.
Lucarelli decided that after his baseball career, he'd become a horse trainer. As pitcher for the WWU team, he threw the only perfect game in the program's history on Apr. 9, 1977.
Two-and-a-half years later, Lucarelli would saddle his first winner on the racetrack.
The entire Washington Thoroughbred industry was on edge when Longacres shuttered in 1992, and racing was not held in the Western part of the state again until Emerald Downs opened in Auburn in 1996.
“Ron Crockett opening this track literally saved my family and myself, so I'm thankful for that,” Lucarelli said. “We've had a great run here at Emerald Downs… I hope I have a lot more wins in the barn here. Washington has been great.”
In 2019, Lucarelli became the first trainer to win 1,000 races at Emerald Downs, and also won the first five races on an eight-race card, a track record.
The top horse Lucarelli trained was Gallant Son, only the second-ever horse from Emerald Downs to race in the Breeders' Cup when he started in the Juvenile in 2008.
“Gallant Son is just a phenomenal horse,” Lucarelli said. “He won stakes races until he was 9 years old, Horse of the Year [at Emerald], ran in the Breeders' Cup and got beat four lengths.
“His name is number one. ”
Watch the full interview with Eli Sports Network here:
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