Get ready, dog lovers! Today is the Chinese New Year, and it kicks off the Year of the Dog. We're celebrating by reminiscing on some famous racetrack dogs, owned by trainers and known for gallivanting in the barn area at Thoroughbred racetracks. 

While these racetrack dogs don’t typically attract as much attention as the horses their masters train, once in a while the canines will get a turn in the spotlight. Through the history of horse racing, a few special dogs have become famous as the loyal companions of prominent trainers, traveling from track to track and remaining a constant presence even as the horses come and go.

In celebration of the Year of the Dog, here are a few dogs that came to work with their trainers and wound up in the spotlight …

Bobby Frankel and Happy

Robert “Bobby” Frankel had the good fortune to win six Breeders’ Cup races during his Hall of Fame career, but while Frankel was a regular visitor to the winner’s circle, he wasn’t in attendance when his filly Ginger Punch prevailed in a thrilling renewal of the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Instead, Frankel was at home caring for his ailing Australian Shepherd, Happy, a faithful companion that regularly came to the track with Frankel.

Happy was one of several Australian Shepherds that could be seen touring racetracks with Frankel through the years. Two of the youngest, which were Frankel’s companions before he passed away in 2009, were fittingly named Ginger and Punch.

Charlie Whittingham and Toby

Whittingham and Toby memorialized at Santa Anita. (Cynthia Holt photo)

Santa Anita Park is home to a number of statues honoring the legends that have spent time at the Arcadia racetrack. There’s the Seabiscuit statue in the walking ring; there’s the Zenyatta statue near the Kingsbury Memorial Fountain; and there’s the bronze bust in the paddock gardens of Charles “Charlie” Whittingham, one of the most successful trainers in the history of racing.

But what about the dog statue that sits next to Whittingham, gazing up at the legendary trainer? That would be Toby, Whittingham’s Australian Shepherd that resided with the trainer at Santa Anita. Toby wasn’t the only dog that came to work with Whittingham (Bobo was another), but Toby was certainly the best-known, as evidenced by his statue at Santa Anita and the attention he received in racing stories during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Kenny McPeek and Blinkers

Perhaps one of the most famous trainer-and-dog pairs in racing history is that of Kenny McPeek and Blinkers, a black Labrador Retriever that is credited with introducing McPeek to his former wife, Sue. As a young dog, Blinkers didn’t quite understand that his home was McPeek’s barn; he had a tendency to wander wherever he pleased. As described by writer Rick Bozich in the Nov. 3, 2000, edition of The Courier-Journal, Blinkers “took a wrong turn at Keeneland and changed two lives… one morning [Blinkers] followed Sue, who was snapping pictures of workouts. Looking for his dog, Kenny found a wife.”

Blinkers’ wandering ways helped him become a media sensation prior to the 1995 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, where he would wander around begging for snacks from anyone that looked promising. As told by Steve Haskin in his book "Tales from the Triple Crown," Blinkers “was plastered all over the local TV stations and newspapers. The Blinker phenomenon took off from there. By Preakness day he had become a national celebrity … He even received a large bouquet of flowers and a card from two yellow Labradors from Tuxedo, New York.”

Carla Gaines and Louis

While Happy, Toby and Blinkers have all passed away, Louis is a modern-day canine star taking his place in the spotlight! Owned by the successful California-based trainer Carla Gaines, best known as the trainer of 2009 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Dancing in Silks, Louis (or "Louie") can often be found at Santa Anita supporting the Carla Gaines Racing team. In fact, a photo of Louis wearing a hat and blanket in support of Gaines’ colt Partyinthepaddock garnered a lot of attention on Twitter!

Louis is yellow Labrador retriever whose daily routine includes going to the grandstand to watch horses train, a trip to Clockers’ Corner for his daily handout of bacon and a trip through the paddock and a dip in the fountain. Louis then returns to barn, where he suns himself, watches everyone passing by and greets all of his favorite friends.

This story was originally published in 2017 and has been updated.