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Racing Secretary Allan Lav in Well Suited for Downs Post Native Kentuckian Has Wide Practical Experience to Put Into His Writing of Races RacesCHURCHILL CHURCHILL DOWNS Louisville Ky May 4 Few racing secretaries at Ameri ¬ can tracks have brought to their jobs the wide practical experience that Allan Doc Lavin had behind him when he was ap ¬ pointed to the post at Churchill Downs this year Lavin who succeeded Lincoln Plaut when the latter stepped up to the stewards stand after serving as Plauts assistant for two seasons has been an owner trainer and breeder of horses and in addition has had working experience at the starting gate and in veterinary medicine medicineLavin Lavin who has worked with Gil Haus for many years at Delaware and Randall Parks is a 44yearold native of Fayette bounty outside of Lexington Ky His father a physician bred horses on a mod ¬ est scale and his uncles Allan and John Gallaher were prominents owners trainers and breeders Lavin broke yearlings for his uncle Al during summer vacations in high school gaining a sound foundation in horsemanship At the University of Kentucky Lavin played basketball for the first Wildcat team coached by the famed mentor Adolph Rupp who brought the fast break to the south He also studied English under his cousin the late Joe Palmer who was later to become one of this countrys best known racing writers writersDuring During World War H Lavin served with the U S Army Veterinary Corps in Northern India where he played medic to supply animals hauling goods to the famed Indian Eighth Army Since 1947 hes made his home in Hot Springs Ark and works at Oaklawn Park under Red Mclntosh His son Gary is in his first year of vet ¬ erinary school at Oklahoma A M and Lavin also has two younger daughters daughtersIf If theres a secret to this game Lavin says its writing races for the horses on the grounds When horsemen have races they can run in the entries come in a lot easier Of course my first book is the toughest to write because I make it up in January But by and large many of the same stables return to Churchill Downs lyear after year and you can pretty much plan on what will turn up for the opening of the meeting meetingEntries Entries come a bit slower in the spring too because of the changeable weather and the fact that not all the younger horses are ready to run In the fall with a summer of campaigning behind them and many stables planning to lay up for the winter everyone wants to take a crack crackLavin Lavin a sound practical professional schedules as many distance races as he be ¬ lieves will fill He also believes in providing sufficient opportunities for horsemen with fillies and mares in the barn As for the Derby Day card itself Lavin tries to ar ¬ range a well balanced program of wide general appeal You cant fool Ken tuckians about horses Lavin says They can spot quality on an overnight at first glance
