Chaplain Tom Lapointe, and FHBPA Board Members Joe Orseno, and Herb Oster stood attentively waiting to see who would win the 6th Race at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, May 6th. Why? Because the FHBPA dedicated and named the race in Honor of H.W. “Salty” Roberts who passed away in April.
Roberts dedicated his life to racetrack chaplaincy and was the founder of the Race Track Chaplaincy of America and was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the FHBPA last year for his ministry work.
In the race, No Denial took charge down the stretch to put away heavy favorite So Long Chuck and drew clear for an easy win.
How perfect is it that the name of the horse who won is No Denial? There is absolutely no denial, that Salty was a positive influence not only on horsemen in Florida but to horsemen at race tracks worldwide. The FHBPA also made a gift of $1,000 to the chaplaincy in his honor.