Thursday Video: Green Gratto & Gaston Grant

The story of Green Gratto and his owner/trainer Gaston Grant prove that no dream is too big.

If you’re a hardworking equestrian who holds down several jobs to afford the sport you love, then Gaston Grant’s story may sound familiar to you. Grant works as a UPS driver… but every morning, he can found at the tracks of New York or New Jersey, training his small string of horses and supervising their care.

Grant works hard to ensure his horses get the best care in the racing stable as possible — and it seems as though the horses recognize that, repaying his care with efforts on race day. One horse in particular has put Gaston Grant on the map: an equally hardworking war horse named Green Gratto.

A New Jersey-bred sired by Here’s Zealous out of Starship Smokester – Smokester, Green Gratto has been a hard-fighting sprinter who is still knocking out races at the age of seven — most notably with his first Grade I victory in April’s Carter Stakes at Aqueduct (also the first Grade I win for Grant).

Green Gratto was essentially free — the deal was that Gaston Grant and his brother Anthony could have the horse if they paid his bills. Certainly, that gamble has paid off for the brothers, who are natives of Jamaica. Anthony is a contractor, and Gaston has his UPS route — and despite the success of their banner horse, both of the Grants plan to continue to hold down their day jobs, keeping horse racing as their passion.

This video better illustrates the story of Gaston Grant and Green Gratto:

Let this be your inspiration today. Go riding!