Emotional win at The Meadows for late caretaker's horse & famil

On June 5, Clarence Walters, a caretaker for The Meadows trainer Mike Palone, teamed with his boss to claim Were In Luck for $5,000. It was the only horse in which the hard-working Walters had an ownership interest, and he confided to friends how excited he would be to race his new 10 year old.

Walters, 58, never got that chance. He died six days later from injuries suffered when a horse kicked him.

Even in his grief, Palone persevered with the horse he’d purchased with his friend and employee. On Tuesday, racing in the name of Walters and Palone, Were In Luck won a $6,000 claiming race, equaling his lifetime mark of 1:52.2 with Palone’s brother Dave at the helm.

The victory triggered a spontaneous tribute to Walters. Dave Palone raised his whip as he crossed the wire to salute the fallen caretaker.

“It was awesome,” Dave Palone said. “I wanted to win that race as much as any stake race I’ve had at The Meadows. You know how much I love to win races? Clarence loved to win races more than I do. He wouldn’t let me leave the winners’ circle without a high five.”

Members of Walters’ family, including his wife Mary and son Steven, a trainer at The Meadows, gathered in the winners’ circle following the race. They were joined there by Pastor Joe DiDonato, chaplain at The Meadows, who has counseled family members during the difficult past week.

“After the funeral, we talked about that horse racing,” Pastor Joe said. “Clarence hadn’t owned a horse in many years. He was so excited about this one that people actually said, ‘What a tribute it would be if that horse hit’s the winner's circle.’

“The emotions were mixed: happy and tearful, kind of a combination of everything. It was a special moment.”

Because the tribute was unplanned, Dave Palone was nearly unnerved by the sight of so many Walters family members.

“The last lap before we went to the gate, I saw about 15 people from the family there,” he said. “I had no idea they would be there, and I got nervous behind the gate. I didn’t want to screw it up. This race meant a lot to Michael and to all of us. We’ll miss him.” (The Meadows)

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