Q&A with John Perrotta, Author of New Book ‘Racetracker’

John Perrotta is an author and a lifelong horseman who has experience in nearly every aspect of the Thoroughbred racing and breeding business.
Perrotta will debut this month a new series for America’s Best Racing, called “If Wishes Were Horses”, and his new book, “Racetracker”, is now available on Amazon.
A University of Miami graduate, Perrotta in 1978 became one of the first professional racing managers in the U.S., coordinating business affairs for the John Forbes Stable, one of the leading barns in the country, before accepting the position of general manager with Robert Brennan’s Due Process Stables in 1981.
Perrotta

During his 15-year career as vice president and general manager, Due Process Stables consistently was one of the leading stables and raced such champions as Deputy Minister and Dehere, plus 45 other individual stakes winners. Due Process Stables also bred two-time Eclipse Award winner Open Mind.
Since the Due Process dispersal in 1995, Perrotta has raced multiple stakes winners in his Star Stable and was the co-breeder of 1996 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Touch Gold.
In 2004, Perrotta created the Thoroughbred Racing Radio Network, acting as president and executive producer. Beginning in March 2009, Perrotta was employed as a producer and screen writer/executive story editor/co-producer as well as technical consultant for Red Board Productions, working on the pilot and subsequent HBO series “Luck,” which premiered on that network in January 2012.  Following the cancellation of “Luck”,  Perrotta subsequently wrote “Out of Luck” — a depiction of an imagined racetrack-based story that included some of the characters depicted in the ill-fated series — for America’s Best Racing.
Perrotta took some time to chat with America’s Best Racing with “Racetracker: Life with Grifters and Gamblers ...” now available and “If Wishes Were Horses” on the horizon.

What inspired you to write the book?
As jockey Billy Pearson used to inscribe in his autobiography, “I hope you have as much fun reading this as I did living it … ”
What makes a racetracker?
I’ve heard the expression used on the backside since I first came on the track.  It’s one who gives their life to the sport, working with and around those wonderful animals, and it’s unmatched for camaraderie.
Of all your roles in horse racing, which one have you enjoyed the most?
My career with Due Process Stable in the 1980s and 1990s was a dream job for anyone. Being around horses like Deputy Minister and Dehere and playing at the top level in racing, breeding and buying and selling made me jump out of bed every morning.
What was your biggest score as a gambler at the races?
I’ve hit a bunch of Pick 6s, but the twenty-buck, three-horse parlay I made one day at Saratoga that brought back 13 grand was the best return on investment.
What makes horse racing so unique as a sport and why do you think the sport is so compelling to so many?
I love it. … I think the attraction to sell to new fans these days has to be the excitement of gambling on something with odds better than the even money offered by casinos. Then, when they’re around it a bit, they’ll be drawn to the entire experience and get it in their blood. And as we know, there’s no cure …
Do you have a favorite all-time racetrack? Horse?
I grew up in the shadow of Monmouth Park and still get a chill there when they turn for home. Horses: Dehere for the home team, Dr. Fager the best of all.
What was your introduction to horse racing?
My dad loved the races and passed it on. Good start for every father/kid bonding.
What was it like working with David Milch on “Luck”?
David Milch has always been my idol as a writer. Working with him has been a true graduate course and worth every bit of the pain we shared over “Luck”.  Jay Hovdey and Bill Barich were just icing on the Milch-cake for me.
What creative pursuits are you currently working on? Are they related to horse racing?
“Racetracker” is some of my recollections from a lifetime in horseracing. It is now out on Amazon/Kindle and some bookstores. And I’m excited to be working on another fictional series for America’s Best Racing with my favorite artist, Jen Ferguson. It starts in January … about a 16-year-old runaway who starts walking hots at Saratoga in the summer of 1972.
Breeders’ Cup or Kentucky Derby, which one is more fun to attend in person?
“If you ain’t never been to that Kentucky Derby, you ain’t been nowhere and you ain’t done nothing.” That’s what Col. Matt Winn said, and I’d agree. Breeder’s Cup is right up there, too.