Each Tuesday, a familiar name in the sport will be in the spotlight, answering some fun, offbeat questions, giving readers a unique perspective into their personality.
Mike Keeling (far right, blue shirt, in this Dave Landry photo from the Hambletonian) will forever be known as the man who trained Trotting Triple Crown winner Marion Marauder in partnership with his wife, Paula Wellwood. Keeling has trained the winners of more than $8 million lifetime.
by Dave Briggs
1. Briefly describe your perfect day
“Perfect day — wow. Probably sleeping in a little bit, having bacon and eggs for breakfast and a round of golf with three really good friends and many beers. Those are days that I really enjoy, beyond racing. Win the Hambletonian? If you give me that, then I’d win the Hambletonian, but beyond horse racing that’s a day I like.”
2. Outside of horse racing what is your greatest achievement?
“Definitely our son Devin. Just the fact that somehow we did something right, because he’s just a good kid. He’s definitely the proudest thing I have to brag about.”
3. What three things do you most hope are waiting for you in heaven?
(laughs) “Wow. That’s a tough one. Hopefully my best friends are there. A new spine wouldn’t bother me. That would be heaven for me. Probably my dog Selby.”
4. You can jump in a time machine and meet anyone in history. Who would you like to meet and why?
“That’s a great one. I’m always fascinated with the guys essential in making the U.S. what it is. Abraham Lincoln would probably be one for what he did freeing the slaves. I’m a history buff and I love the civil war. Lincoln would be definitely one.”
5. What is the greatest movie ever made and why?
“That’s a tough one for me. I’m a movie fan. I still go back to the Godfather. I’m a Godfather freak. I probably like number two better than number one just because of how they go back through the history of how he became the Godfather. That was fun. The Godfathers 1 and 2 are pretty much ranked at the top and my third favorite is actually The Hunt For Red October. I absolutely love that movie.”
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