Larry Bates, a longtime Florida horseman, has passed away. He was 77. Bates won 454 races as a trainer, enjoying stakes success with Regal Joy, winner of the 1995 GIII Joe Namath S., and Black Diamond Cat, who won the Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint and Major Moran S. in 2011 and the Housebuster S. and Montbrook S. in 2013. Bates saddled the filly Cher Ami to five stakes victories in 2007.
A native of Virginia, Bates worked and rode in New England before switching to steeplechase. He rode in Europe for Daniel Wildenstein and in the U.S. for Paul Fout.
Bates was known to be a fiery competitor when riding. In a 1971 Sports Illustrated article, writer Frank Deford tells of Bates leaping from his mount at Delaware one afternoon to jockey Jerry Fishback's mount, “as in the cowboy movies…dragging [Fishback] to the ground,” to confront Fishback about his ride.
“Larry was an extremely accomplished horseman,” former jockey Ben Bealmear said. “He knew a lot about a horse by being on him, but also just by looking them in the eye. He and Allen [Jerkens] became really good friends. Larry told me once when he was having a tough time Allen said, 'Larry, when it comes to training horses, the first 50 years don't count.'”
Bates's last victory was Apr. 6 with Poiema, a daughter of Neolithic who finished second May 28 in an overnight handicap.
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