At 78, Dickey lives 'the good life' as a Churchill Downs trainer

One of the longest-tenured trainers on the backstretch of Churchill Downs is Charles “Scooter” Dickey. At age 78, Dickey continues to train horses and is always searching for the next star to join his stable.

“This truly is the good life,” Dickey said as he sat on a stool in the corner of the backstretch clocker stand with his head perched out the window.

Dickey was born in Anthony, Kansas, a small town about 60 miles southwest of Wichita with a population of 2,100. Before Dickey began training, he spent about 10 years as a jockey until he was forced to retire due to weight limitations.

“You can call it weight problems but I like to refer to it as ‘feed tub problems,’” Dickey joked. “Back when I started riding as an apprentice you rode under contract for certain trainers. I decided to try my hand at being a jockey in Florida at the old Sunshine Park (now Tampa Bay Downs).

"I originally had a choice: I could start off with the owner and trainer I did ride for or ride for (owner) Fred Hooper. Let’s just say I made the wrong decision at the time.”

Hooper became one of the legendary breeders and owners in horse racing with more than 100 stakes wins including a victory in the 1945 Kentucky Derby with Hoop Jr. 

After Dickey’s short-lived career in the saddle, he began to train horses and had his first victory in 1963 at the now defunct Centennial Park in Littleton, Colo. Following some time in the Midwest, Dickey and his wife, Dana, moved their stable to Kentucky in 1992. One of the most accomplished horses that Dickey trained was multiple Grade I-winner Flat Out. 

“It was nice to have the big horse in the barn but it’s not all about the big horse anymore,” Dickey said. “If another one finds their way to my care that would be awesome. If not, no big deal.”

Flat Out won the 2011 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) in Dickey’s care and went off as the 7-2 favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Classic where he finished fifth.

Dickey, who earned the nickname Scooter because he scooted as a child instead of crawled, is usually found standing in the paddock area with about five or six other trainers watching the horses get saddled and making notes in his program.

“Rick (Hiles) and these other guys like to copy me in this spot,” Dickey quipped. “I’ve spotted a lot of horses to claim right here and I like to lean against this rail.”

Dickey is stabled in Barn 8 at Churchill Downs and oversees about 10 horses.