Pound for pound, jockeys are among the world’s great athletes, packing the power to control a thousand-pound animal into a light frame that balances on a saddle that weighs less than a bag of sugar. Day in and day out, they battle their bodies, the weather, and the inherent risks of riding a horse going 35 to 40 miles per hour to do what they love.

Larry Demeritte used to watch the Kentucky Derby in his native Bahamas and dream the dream. He was a top trainer in his homeland. Perhaps one day he could saddle a horse good enough to run for the roses.

The drive to make that happen led him to come to the United States in the mid-1970s and eventually become a citizen. Although he developed a reputation for having a keen eye for inexpensive horses that far outran their purchase prices, his Derby dream seemed like nothing more than fantasy.