Ira Hanford (1918-2009) onboard 1936 Kentucky Derby Winner Bold Venture

     By the time I  met Ira, he was already feeling poorly but still found the energy to take his wife Virginia out for a beer at our local watering hole. Although Virginia still stops by once in awhile you can't help but notice that Ira is not sitting there next to her.

     Ira would come alive whenever I would ask him about his life as a jockey. The last time we talked I asked him if he saw the movie Seabiscuit. Tilting back his baseball cap he said,  No, I didn't see the movie, I rode him though. At that moment I became fully aware of who I was having a beer with.