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By Emily Shields
A childhood spent at the racetrack can often develop into a lifelong passion for the game. That is certainly true of Clint Roberts, whose father gave him a taste of the ownership side of the industry years ago. At first Roberts looked poised to pursue that path, until he bought into California sire Lakerville. Now he is fully entrenched in the breeding business. Roberts remembers spending a day a month at the races as a kid.
“My dad always wanted to own horses and usually had one on the track,” he said. “It was in my blood.”
Some of the horses that Clint’s father, Tom, campaigned include Speaking of Time, a multiple graded stakes-placed stakes winner of $394,976, and grade 1 winner Famous Digger, who was claimed for $40,000 in 1997 and went on to win the Del Mar Oaks (G1T). Barry Abrams, who has a special place in the Clint Roberts story, trained both horses.
“My dad’s horses were trained by Roger Stein,” Roberts said. “At the time, Roger’s assistant was Barry Abrams. When I got my driver’s license in high school, I would go to the track and play the last race, then go hang out with Barry. I got really close to him. When Barry went out on his own, I told my dad to give the horses to Barry. I said, ‘He does all the work!’ ”