Virgil W. Raines (March 30, 1911 – May 10, 2000) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Known as "Buddy" Raines, in the 1930s he began working as a stable hand and became an exercise rider, notably for the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame colt Cavalcade. He went on to condition racehorses for 65 years, working primarily on the

U.S. East Coast The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard ...

and was a regular at Delaware Park and Monmouth Park Racetracks. Buddy Raines met with his greatest success training horses for Donald Ross's Brandywine Stable. He had great success with Cochise, winning several important races between 1949 and 1951, including the Massachusetts and Arlington Handicaps and the Saratoga Cup and set or equaled track records at

Suffolk Downs Suffolk Downs is a former Thoroughbred race track in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The track opened in 1935 after being built by Joseph A. Tomasello for a cost of $2 million. It was sold in May 2017 to a developer who plans to crea ...

and Delaware Park. In July 1950, with the colt Greek Song, Raines won the Arlington Classic, a race that at the time was one of the most important in America. As a stallion, Greek Song was mated to the mare Lucy Lufton, a granddaughter of the great sire Nearco. Their union produced

Greek Money Greek Money (foaled 1959 in Virginia) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series, the Preakness Stakes. Background Greek Money was a chestnut horse sired by Greek Song whose wins ...

who would give Buddy Raines his most important win in 1962 when the

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

colt won a U.S. Triple Crown race, the Preakness Stakes. In 1966, Raines conditioned Open Fire to a champion season. The daughter of Brandywine Stable's Cochise, Open Fire won the Delaware Handicap, the Spinster Stakes as well as the Diana Handicap en route to being voted Co-U.S. Champion Older Mare. On a personal basis, Buddy Raines played a major role in the rearing of his grandsons John and

Mike Luzzi Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

who both became

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

s. One of the family's great memories came in 1991 when the eighty-year-old Raines saddled Timely Warning and watched as grandson Mike Luzzi won the

Maryland Million Classic Maryland Million Classic is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in October since 1986 primarily at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland or at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. To be eligible for the Maryland Million Classic, a h ...

and the

Brooklyn Handicap The Brooklyn Invitational Stakes (formerly known as the Brooklyn Handicap) is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. It currently is a Grade II event open to four-year-ol ...

. In 1996 Monmouth Park began awarding the

Virgil W. Raines Distinguished Achievement Award The Virgil "Buddy" Raines Distinguished Achievement Award was established in 1996 by Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey in honor of the trainer, Virgil W. Raines. The annual award honors an owner or trainer competing at the track wh ...

which honors an owner or trainer who has shown a dedication to the sport of Thoroughbred racing through exemplary conduct demonstrating professionalism and integrity

Buddy Raines was residing in Aiken, South Carolina at the time of his death in 2000. He was nominated for induction in the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

in 2006. In 2008, Raines was inducted posthumously in the Delaware Park Wall of Fame.

References

U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee list

Monmouth Park Racetrack Raines Award

Delaware Park announces 2008 Wall of Fame Class
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raines 1911 births 2000 deaths American horse trainers Sportspeople from Aiken, South Carolina