Texas owner-breeder Larry Dyson dies at 77

Catdaddy will be a sentimental favorite in race 8, a one-mile allowance, Wednesday night at Remington Park because his co-owner Larry Dyson died last Thursday.

Dyson’s wife, Judy, said her husband had been sick much of the last year and died of a chronic disease. He was 77.

Dyson was a longtime breeder and owner based in Texas. His chief runners included Rare Cure, a seven-time stakes winner who earned more than $500,000, and Trickey Crew, a five-time stakes winner who banked $250,000. He also won multiple Quarter Horse stakes with Ima Real Thing.

“All of our married life he had horses,” said Judy Dyson. “We’ve been married 40 years. Right now, he has one partnership horse with two of his buddies, Catdaddy. That’s the only horse he has in training.”

:: Join DRF Bets and play the races with a $250 First Deposit Bonus. Click to learn more.

Catdaddy will break from the rail Wednesday. Joe Petalino trains the horse, who comes off a runner-up finish at the same level last month at Remington.

“Everywhere Larry went, he knew everybody,” Petalino said. “And everybody liked him.”

Services will be at Boyd Baptist Church in Bonham, Texas, at 3 p.m. Wednesday. The visitation will be at the church the same afternoon, starting at 1:30.

Dyson had a car dealership in Durant, Okla. He had a passion for helping young people, said Judy Dyson. For more than a decade, Dyson sponsored the American Legion baseball team of high school age players in Southern Oklahoma. He also was a key benefactor of the rodeo program at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and was inducted into its hall of fame.

“He was one of the most genuine people you ever hoped to meet,” said Judy Dyson. “He always wanted to help others.”

◗ Jockey Timothy Thornton won with seven of his nine mounts on the Saturday card at Delta Downs.

◗ Delta, which has been working on track lighting issues, will race during the day this Friday and Saturday.

◗ The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association will award three college scholarships worth a total of $6,000 during a drawing Saturday night at Evangeline Downs. The event complements the running of the $150,000 LQHBA Futurity.