Tom Pedulla is interviewing prominent owners, trainers, and jockeys as they travel the Road to the 150th Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve May 4 at Churchill Downs.

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This installment features Larry Demeritte, who left the Bahamas in the 1970s with the hope of someday training a horse worthy of competing in the Kentucky Derby. Someday has finally come.

West Saratoga, an $11,000 purchase Demeritte made for owner Harry Veruchi at Keeneland’s September yearling sale, owns 67 qualifying points after finishing second in the March 23 Jeff Ruby Steaks on Turfway Park’s all-weather Tapeta Footings surface.

The son of 2016 Preakness winner Exaggerator produced the first points on the Road to the Derby while showing an affinity for Churchill Downs when he won the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes Sept. 16. West Saratoga has a record of two wins, five seconds, and one third from 10 starts with earnings of $460,140.

Demeritte discussed what led to West Saratoga’s purchase, his battle with cancer since 1996, and his Derby dream come true during a question-and-answer session conducted on behalf of America’s Best Racing.

PEDULLA: Did you have races like the Derby in mind when you left the Bahamas?

DEMERITTE: Yes. Definitely. We always had a Derby party. I said one year, ‘I’d like to go see if I could compete with the horsemen in the U.S.’

PEDULLA:  Did you eventually become a United States citizen?

DEMERITTE: Yes. I’ve been a citizen for quite a while now, 20 years. I’ve been in this country now longer than I was in my own country.

PEDULLA: What does it mean to you to be a U.S. citizen?

DEMERITTE: It means a great deal to me. I’ve made so many friends here. I love this country. I love America. This is the only place where, if you work hard, the opportunity is there for success.

PEDULLA: Why did you pay only $11,000 for West Saratoga? Why was he relatively inexpensive?

West Saratoga at Jeff Ruby Steaks. (Eclipse Sportswire)

DEMERITTE:  I really don’t know why because this horse is made as good as they come. He was maybe a bit on the small side when I bought him. But when I saw him, I said, ‘This horse is a nice horse.’ Balanced. Good shoulders. Good hips on him. Once he walked around the ring, he had a good mind. That’s what I look for. If he gets rattled at the sales, he won’t be able to take racing.

PEDULLA: He went winless in his first four starts. Was he still learning the game?

DEMERITTE: We had the one post four times in a row. I didn’t want to train him to become a sprinter by leaving the gate early. I knew he wanted to stretch out. As soon as we got an outside post and stretched him out, he got the job done for us.

PEDULLA: What did it mean when he won the Iroquois?

DEMERITTE: It made me focus differently because I knew I had a horse capable of going to the Derby. I started mapping out his journey after that, which races I thought he could get Derby points.

PEDULLA: You have a history of succeeding with inexpensive horses. What is the key to that success?

DEMERITTE: I surround myself with good people who really care about the animal. I always say, ‘Good energy means so much in a barn.’ Negative energy I don’t care to be around. The horses sense that kind of stuff. It’s a team effort. For some people, it’s just a paycheck. It has to be more than that. To me, training horses is not a job. I spend a lot of time at my barn, evening, morning time. It’s more of a love for this sport.

PEDULLA: You train at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington. How many horses do you have there? 

DEMERITTE: I have 11 horses there.

PEDULLA: Is that a comfortable number for you?

DEMERITTE: Maybe 12. You can keep six to eight of them ready to run. I enjoy going to the sale and buying young horses and bringing them up so they enjoy being racehorses.

PEDULLA: Do you feel that you are representing the Bahamas? Can you tell whether you have a lot of support there?

DEMERITTE: Yes. A lot of support. We take a lot of pride in what we do in this world. I always feel I am a representative of my people and also a race of people. I’m a positive person. I look at the news and it hurts me when I see someone of color not doing well. I feel I am representing a whole race of people in a positive way.

PEDULLA: How is West Saratoga progressing?

DEMERITTE: I’m hoping the first Saturday in May I can have him as good as he can get. He’s still improving. This horse is improving after every race. He came out of the Jeff Ruby and we got home about 11 p.m. The first thing he did was to go for the feed tub. That’s a very good sign right there.

PEDULLA: Even though he ran second in the Jeff Ruby, did it feel like a victory because you got enough points to lock up a Derby spot?

DEMERITTE: Yes, in some sense because we know we still have more to reach for with this horse. This horse is a different kind of horse. He likes the challenge. Some horses are one-dimensional. This horse, if you ask him to go early, he’ll go. If you ask him to come off the pace, he’ll come off the pace. I’ve bought a lot of horses, but I never bought one like this horse.

Demeritte after Jeff Ruby Steaks.

PEDULLA: I know you do not like to talk about it too much, but you are in a battle with cancer. How do you deal with that every day?

DEMERITTE: I don’t sit around and feel sorry for myself and worry about what is going to happen. No, I don’t do that. I get up every morning. Sometimes, I don’t feel good. Sometimes, they have to drive me back home. But I get to see the horses and that gives me inspiration. In 1996, when I was first diagnosed [with multiple myeloma], they gave me five years. I’m still here. I have a great team of doctors. They are all coming to the races to watch my horse run. They already bought their tickets. The support I have, it makes you want to be around. I am a man of faith. That gets you through a lot of things.

PEDULLA: Has the excitement of preparing for the Derby set in?

DEMERITTE: As far as the day to day, we really aren’t doing anything different. I told them on the way to the Jeff Ruby, ‘Guys, I really appreciate the effort you put in this week. Not a stone was unturned. Whatever we needed to do was done.’

PEDULLA: How do you feel about your Derby prospects?

DEMERITTE: I promise you he will show up. I’m really confident in this horse because I know what he is like. I told the farrier the other day, ‘One thing I am praying for is that he doesn’t get bumped around in the first turn.’ That is where a lot of horses win or lose the Derby. If he can be in the second flight, then when they turn into the backside he can get his spot. Then you’ll see him when they turn for home.