I can't tell you how many years ago I met Ralph. It was a long time ago. He's been an absolute fixture at the track for his entire life. He was one of the most popular guys in NY racing. Some of the stories he would tell were nothing short of incredible. In the past years, he spent most of the day in the race office. I enjoyed talking to him, listening to his stories and hearing first hand about the history of our game.
In recent years, when he was using a walker, there wasn't one jockey agent, race office official, etc. that wouldn't go out of their way to bring him a coffee, bring him up to the grandstand, hold the door, whatever. His son, Ralph Jr. had Jean Luc's book for a very long time. I think that jock/agent relationship lasted longer than any other in NY.
He will be very missed.
Eric
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