Rival trainers to celebrate Father's Day together
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Trainers Justin Evans and Dick “Flaco” Cappellucci are fierce competitors at tracks throughout the Southwest, but they will be celebrating Father’s Day together after the races Sunday at Lone Star Park.
“He’s the godfather to my children,” said Evans.
Evans and his wife, Vanessa, share Austin, 14, and 9-year-old twins Anderson and Addison.
Cappellucci and Evans meet in 2009 at Sunland Park and became fast friends. Both are the sons of trainers and they have celebrated many major holidays together.
But on the track, it’s every man for himself, and when Cappellucci trainee Mine That Star won a January allowance over Evans trainee Holiday Pay, there were a few fun moments at a dinner party the night of the race, recalled Evans.
“Austin said to Flaco, ‘You don’t want to know what my dad said when they hit the wire. We’re lucky we came to dinner tonight.’ ”
Evans said Cappellucci and Austin are very close in a relationship that stood out to the twins before the trainer was named their godfather.
“I told Flaco, ‘I hate to put this much pressure on you, but you’re going to have to be godfather to all three of them because [the twins] are very jealous Austin’s got you and they don’t,” quipped Evans. “So, it worked out good. It’s been a really wonderful relationship. We’ll all be together on Father’s Day. We’re going for dinner on Sunday night.”
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