Lou Rapone, 98, dies

Pompano Beach, FL…March 10, 2024…Louis Rapone, 98, passed away on March 10, 2024,

Rapone was one of the original members of harness racing’s 1,000 win club and was known as one of the premier “gate-men” in harness racing.

Born in Caledonia, New York on July 9, 1925, “Louie” lived near the fairgrounds in that town, leading to his long and successful career in harness racing.

Formal schooling ended after grade school but, as he said, “I got a ‘Harvard’ education” beginning at the age of 13 from Mark Kyler.

Subsequently, he moved to the Hatchell Stable until he was called into the service and wound up with the Navy.

He played in the theatre—the European Theatre—during the war years (1944-1946) and participated in the landings at Anzio, Normandy and Palermo—the latter landing resulting in a severe injury where he was hospitalized for several months.

After being honorably discharged from the service, Rapone came back to the States and bought his first horse, Flaxey Girl, making his first start at Batavia Downs.

“I learned a lot from the masters like Haughton (Billy), MIller (Delvin) and the Senior Simpson (John) and they taught me just about everything I got to know in treating problems that come up with our horses,” he lamented years ago.

“I had a ‘knee-knocker’ by the name of Scudder,” he remembered, “and he was a notorious knee knocking pacer and I couldn’t make any progress with him, so I turned him Into a trotter and he was good going after that, too.”

But Lou Rapone didn’t make a name for himself with the ‘Scudders’ of the world but, rather, with trotters like Grace Frost and Bold Colby and the pacers Jimmy Norman and Pole Adios, among many others.

“Pole Adios was a nasty thing,” Lou recalled, “nasty but very game—but nasty enough that he had to be trained to a pick-up truck.”

Pole Adios was one of the rare sub-2:00 horses back in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s leading Rapone to be in high demand as a rare catch-driver.

Even prior to that, Delvin Miller realized the talent in Rapone and had him catch-drive Dale Frost for him at Vernon Downs in a Stakes event, which he won.

“Yeah,” Lou chuckled, “he beat some pretty good horseflesh like Dottie’s Pick, Speedy Pick and Adios Harry. He could pace in (1):58 when that kind of mile was really something!”

Longtime friend Odell Thompson recently reflected on his 60-year friendship with Lou Rapone saying, “I first met Louie back at Washington Park back in the early ’60’s (1960’s).

“He was one terrific horseman, and he would get messages all day long at the stable gate because all these folks wanted Louie to drive for them.”

One of Louie Rapone’s great wins was in the early 1950’s relating, “it was my birthday, and I was driving a pacer that hadn’t won in a couple of years—I can’t remember her name (Note: Liza Jane Grattan, with a mark at 2:24) and she won in 2:09 and a piece and you’d thought she won a $100,000 Stake because she broke 2:10!”

It was Lou Rapone’s 27th birthday and she lowered her mark by 24 2/5 seconds!!!

During his career, Lou Rapone was successful at such venues at Hollywood Park, Washington Park, both one-mile ovals, the 7/8th track at Vernon Downs, Sportsman’s Park and their fabled five-eighths surface and all half-mile tracks in New York.

His 120-pound frame carried him into the winner’s circle 2,069 times, primarily in an era when racing was conducted eight months a year.

When asked about his greatest moment in racing, Rapone said, “No doubt, it was September 20, 1958, when I won four races at Batavia Downs, I can tell you their names, too, Governor Baldwin, Dixie Lee Direct, Will Counsel and Blue Skylark.

“I’ll never forget it because that was the day my daughter, Betty Lou, was born. It just doesn’t get any better than that!”

It hasn’t been all a “bed of roses” for Lou Rapone as his son, Patsy, passed away from brain cancer in 1996 and another son, Louis, has passed, as well.

“He was a helluva a horseman,” Lou said about Patsy, “and you never get over anything like that—losing a son…and I lost two beautiful ones!”

Survivors include, daughter Betty Lou (Thomas) Buckley, sons Francis (Nancy) Rapone and Louis DiSanto, Granddaughter Jennifer Allums, Grandsons Christopher (Liz) Buckley, Aaron Buckley and Great-grandson Elijah Buckley.

Information on services for Louis Rapone are pending.

by John Berry, for Harnesslink