OTTB: Larry's Dream

Trainer Larry Cappuccitti is surrounded by hundreds of horses every year. His family’s thoroughbred business, founded by father Gordon and his late mother Audre, is among the top stables in Canada, with plenty of champions and stakes winners having been bred on its farm in Caledon, Ontario.

Cappuccitti, however, has a soft spot for one of their homebreds, a lesser achiever on the track who has blossomed as an eventer and is set to go on the competitive road. Larry’s Dream, bred by the Cappuccitti family in 2005 and a winner just once on the track, has had Olympic-style training as he and his owner Meaghan Greenwood prepare for the Ontario Horse Trials later in 2014.

Cappuccitti placed Larry’s Dream with LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society soon after the gelding was “outdistanced” in a low claiming race at Fort Erie in 2009.

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“He’s a great horse and there was nothing wrong with him,” said Cappuccitti. “We already have several retired horses at our farm (including multiple champion Deputy Inxs), so we contacted LongRun. We have been supporters of it for a long time.”

Larry was fostered for about a year near Stouffville, Ontario, with Alain Lemay, before he met Meaghan Greenwood and her father Mark.

The Greenwoods had recently moved to a 15-acre property in Uxbridge, Ontario, leaving the Toronto city limits so that Meaghan could pursue her competitive riding career.

Mark, a golf professional and instructor, grew up on a farm and rode trail rides, but was never around horses again until Meaghan turned five and wanted to ride. Meaghan began competing at the Ontario Horse Trials and Trillium series on her first horse, Cruz (an unraced thoroughbred), who needed a paddock buddy. The Greenwoods were told about LongRun from a horseracing friend and a recent retired, flashy chestnut named Lakefield was their first adoptee.

“He was not going to be a competition horse but when we saw him, he just put his head on Meaghan’s shoulder and that was it,” said Mark.

When Cruz and Meaghan eventually moved their tack to a training stable with an arena for six months of the year, Lakefield needed a friend.

The Greenwoods returned to the LongRun foster farm network and met Larry’s Dream. “He was just hanging out, looking for attention and I remember Alain saying Larry would make a great jumper one day,” recalled Mark.

Meaghan wasted no time and took Larry out for a quick ride and immediately knew she wanted the gelding.

In a little over three years, Larry’s Dream has blossomed into an eager jumper, eventer and dressage horse, while getting lessons from the best in the business. Jessica Phoenix and Kendall Lehari, top eventing riders and instructors, as well as Andrea Bresee, a dressage Olympic team member, have been coaching Meaghan and Larry.

“He took to jumping very quickly,” noted Mark. “We started him over poles and then Jessica had him going over two-foot verticals right away. All he needed was a minute to look at the jump, figure out what you wanted and bang, he was over the jump.”

The Ontario Horse Trials, beginning this summer, is the main goal for Meaghan, now 17, and nine-year-old Larry, a son of top sprinter D’wildcat.

“He has speed, stamina and heart,” praised Mark. “He is going to be a great cross country horse.”

Adopting off-track thoroughbreds has been a fulfilling experience for the Greenwoods, who are hoping one day to buy a bigger facility for horses.

“There are so many retired thoroughbreds out there and that is good and bad,” offered Mark. “Sometimes, it breaks my heart. But I hope I can get more stalls and more horses one day, re-train them and get them in the hands of young people who can give them great second careers.”