Lou Cavalaris Jr.
Louis C. "Lou" Cavalaris Jr. was an American-born trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses who was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and who for ten years was a highly respected racing secretary for the Ontario Jockey Club.
Background
Born in Hamilton, Ohio, Cavalaris served in the US Merchant Marine in World War II. Thereafter he became a short-order cook. Following that he worked in Detroit on the backstretch. In 1960 he became a Canadian citizen. He was married to Helen and they had two sons together, Michael and Louis. At the time of his passing he was living in Etobicoke and had a granddaughter Julia.Career highlights
In 1946, Cavalaris took out his trainer's license, working with his father, who had a couple of horses in Detroit. In the mid-1960s, he ran Canada's most powerful public stable. He led Canadian trainers in wins in 1966, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, and 1976. In 1966, Cavalaris led North American trainers with 175 winners.Some of Cavalaris' most noteworthy clients were Allen Case, Peter D. Fuller, George R. Gardiner, Margaret Seitz, and Joan Reid. Among the most famous horses he trained were Cool Reception, Henry Tudor, Ice Water, and Victorian Era. He was also the trainer of Dancer's Image, who won the 1968 Kentucky Derby on the track but was disqualified two days later due to testing positive for traces of the pain-killer phenylbutazone, a substance later made legal by the Kentucky Racing Commission.
In 1969, Cavalaris became Gardiner's exclusive trainer. In 1976, he directed Gardiner to record earnings of $639,816. This was one of eight money-winning titles in the space of 11 years. Other famous winners he trained were Arctic Blizzard, Carney's Point, Chatty Cavalier, Double Quill, Haymaker's Jig, James Bay, Mary of Scotland, Monte Christo II, Orbiter, Plegada, Prompt Hero, The Knack II, Two Violins, Vindent de Paul, and Yukon Eric. His last winner, in June 1996, was Major Pots, owned by Gardiner.