"Big Al" the Horsemen's Pal
10/2/07 KyHarnessRacing.com
10/2/07 KyHarnessRacing.com
Need a License....."Look into the camera and smile."
If you are involved with any part of harness racing or
working on the backstretch of a racetrack in
Kentucky, the person you will need to see is Alan
Slayback, License Administrator for the Kentucky
Horse Racing Authority. His door is always open,
unless of course, you catch him when he is out to
lunch.
- At the Ballard County Fair, in LaCenter, Kentucky, we
sat down with Al Slayback in a one on one, to talk
about his day to day routine with the Kentucky Horse
Racing Autority.
- Al can be found at any of his office at Bluegrass
Downs, The Red Mile and Thunder Ridge, while their
meet is running. He also makes his way to some of
the county fairs in the Bluegrass state. Part of Al's
job is going through the program daily, checking his
data base to ensure everyone is licensed. If your
name is in the program, you are on Al's list.
- Working in the licensing department for almost 20
years, Al Slayback started on the Thoroughbred side
taking pictures on the old licenses, at Turfway Park,
for what was then called the Kentucky Racing
Commission. Al was the License Administrator on the
Thoroughbred side from 1991 through 1998. From
1998 to the present, he has worked primarily with
Standardbred and has been an assistant to the
Thoroughbreds. Before he began his career with the
Kentucky Horse Racing Authority in 1991, he served
as Deputy Sheriff for five years in Franklin County.
Prior to serving as Deputy Sheriff, Slayback was a
Kentucky State Trooper.
- Al says the best part about his job is, "I like to
associate with the people. And, I like racing." What
most people would consider a stressful situation,
when you see a line backed up with 30 to 40 people
standing and waiting to get licensed, Al Slayback is
right where he likes it. On a day like that, Al can still
have a genuine, one on one conversation with each
individual that comes through his door.
- One thing everyone will agree about Al is that, he is a
straight shooter. He tells it like it is in the most
cordial way. As you sit and wait for your license, if
you're lucky, you may get a piece of information from
a wise man, that will be very useful to you.
- Since, we like to hear what wise men have to say, we
asked Al Slayback one very important question.
What is the one thing that absolutely needs to
change in harness racing? The answer from
Al Slayback, "We need to do more for the public,
and less for ourselves."
