A book could be written about Nick Alexander's life; two, maybe three. A movie too, and a sequel.
But one account either written or on film wouldn't do justice to a life of both realistic and fairytale fulfillment, the latest episode of which occurred Saturday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.
Alexander, still an institution in California racing as an owner and breeder going on half a century, owns and bred the winner of the Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks, Rose Dawson, and bred the winner of race seven, Crash Corrigan.
Born in Santa Monica, Alexander said his “roots” are in Nebraska, “but my mom and grandmother and aunt moved out here in the 1930s, so I'm a native Californian.”
He is partial to naming is horses after baseball stars of yesteryear, like Clem Labine and Pee Wee Reese, or war heroes like Desmond Doss, and film characters both real and imagined like Crash Corrigan and Marla Hooch.
“I was a baseball nut from the time I was a little kid,” Alexander said. “I was a Dodger fan before they moved from Brooklyn. We had the PCL (Pacific Coast League) out here where the Angels played in a copy of (Chicago's) Wrigley Field at Santa Barbara and Avalon Street.
“In the mornings after church, my Granny would drive to the ball games for a Sunday doubleheader. The second game was seven innings and I think the tickets were a buck and a half or $2.
“She would take me to watch the Angels. They were my team and the Hollywood Stars were the dreaded rival that played at Gilmore Field. Wrigley Field was beautifully built, and Gilmore was kind of a wooden tinderbox waiting to catch on fire. They were fun times.”
Alexander has a passion for both the past and the present, although he keeps things in perspective. An example would be his “celebration” after Saturday's successes.
“We came home (in Pasadena), took the dog for a walk and ordered barbecued chicken pizza from Blaze,” said Alexander, still taut and trim approaching octogenarian status. “I picked it up and then we watched a Netflix movie.”
Alexander attributes a prudent philosophy in large part to his success, both with Thoroughbreds and automobiles, where he has a dealership in South Los Angeles. He graduated from Pasadena High School and attended USC for two years.
“I've always been a competitive person going back to Little League baseball when I was a kid,” he said. “I was in fifth grade when the Little League was first formed in our area of Pasadena, and I knew most of the kids who played since they were from my own school. The pressure was on to beat the kids you knew so you could brag about it all week long at school.
“I've always been competitive. The car business has monthly goals, always striving to meet or exceed what the factory expects. I've always enjoyed competition.
“I wasn't good enough to be a professional baseball player, so horses were the next best thing.
“I retired several years ago from the car business, and my kids (Nick Jr. and Elizabeth) have taken over the BMW and Mini Cooper dealership in South Los Angeles. It's kind of an industrial neighborhood. I think we're the biggest Mini Cooper dealer in the western states, for sure.”
Alexander has retired as chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners of California but remains a board member, although his term expires in June. He has mixed emotions about the future.
“My personal opinion is the internet set the country and people in general in the wrong direction” he said. “I've always thought that social media is the devil.
“People act on social media like they wouldn't act to your face, so I'm not optimistic about that, and there are a couple of generations that I'm not fond of, but this is still the greatest place in the world and I wouldn't trade it for anywhere else.”
Alexander, who turns 80 in September, has fulfilled almost all his dreams, yet he remains committed to the future.
He still has a lot of living to do.
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