Ben Young a Point of Grace
July 21st, 2010 Comments Off
I’ve been painting live at sales in Kentucky for several years and for the last few years I’d be joined most days by a man that loved to talk and when he wasn’t talking he was smiling from ear to ear. When I arrived in Lexington last week for the Fasig Tipton, I was informed by Gary Falter that his business partner and our mutual friend, Ben Young, had passed away. It was then that I realized I didn’t really know anything about Ben, for all his talking he was a private fellow. As it turns out Ben was an actor, even appearing in a few movies with John Wayne. Ben’s claim to fame was that he was the Camel smoker in the cigarette ads; which may explain how Ben spent many of his remaining years flying all over the world to pick up bone marrow to be used in life saving transplants. All I ever knew of Ben was that he loved horses and horse racing. He moved to Kentucky from California five years ago to be in the heart of the industry. He later took a night watchman job at Calumet just for the thrill of working at the legendary farm. Ben and Gary would breed a few horses together, one of which was sold at Saratoga to Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Planation. The beautiful tall filly by Point Given would be named Points of Grace. I saw her for the first time the night she went through the Saratoga sale. She then went to the Ocala farm to be trained by Johnny Collins at Live Oak. I got to see her there on several occasions, afterwards I would always give Ben a report on this spectacular big red filly. Live Oak & Johnny took their time getting her to the track where she is still racing and winning. Ben and I had a secret that when she finally would win her Grade 1 race he was going to have me paint her as a gift to Gary. Ironically, I learned of Ben’s passing the day after Awesome Gem won the G1 Hollywood Gold Cup gaining his first Grade 1 (read the previous blog about Clyde Haugen and Awesome Gem). Plans are being made for a memorial service for Ben in August or September, at which time his ashes will be scattered at the Calumet cemetary along the graves of Citation, Bull Lea, and Whirlaway. During Ben’s last days he assured his friends that he’ll be in heaven holding the gates for everyone, but what else would you expect from a Point of Grace? 
