Hard to believe that it was 7 years ago today that the great Luke Kruytbosch passed away.  He was easily one of the kindest and most fun people I ever had the pleasure to meet.  You know how people often say after someone dies “he made you feel like the most important person in the room”?  Well I said that about Luke both before and after his passing.  Ask just about anyone in racing about Luke and they will have a Luke story.  Everyone loved him.  EVERYONE.

I remember the first time I met him at Turf Paradise and said I just wanted to shake his hand.  He invited me up to his booth and I got to watch him at work for half the card.  I’ll never forget watching him and as they were on the far turn he let out a slow and deliberate “Winding around the farrrrr turrn” and I watched his eyes zoom down to his program as he said it.  I realized that one of his signature lines was really a tool for him to go to his program real quick and check the names of the leaders before he started saying them.  I asked him about that and he said “You learn to cheat when you can,” and smiled.

He was the best.  Just the best.  I miss him alot.  RIP Luke

Me and Luke at Turf Paradise in 2007