Gatekeeper

Al is the Gatekeeper for the stables at the Rillito Racetrack. He tells me that this is his first year on the gate and that he gets in and out of his truck ‘about a thousand times a day’ to let authorized vehicles pass.

For the previous three years he assisted the Racetrack Veterinarian in testing horses. A winning horse is immediately taken to the Vet Area where blood samples are drawn for drug testing. Horses are also checked for a tattoo inside their lip to verify identification.

It is a rainy day, second of a three day rain. Al;s cowboy hat, outdoorsman face, and slicker make him look like the real horseman that he is.