Tom Loughry Jr. and Bobby Rougeaux - Dynamic Duo of PA Fair Racing

Cousins Tom Loughry Jr. and Bobby Rougeaux grew up with a love for harness racing, and the inseparable pair took that passion for the sport and developed it into a solid working relationship that continues today.

“My grandfather started racing horses as a hobby,” Tom remembered. “He was a hard-working coal miner and a farmer, and he just wanted something that everyone could be a part of. We’ve been doing it since we were grooming horses at the fairs, probably when we were 11 or 12 years old. And we’ve been watching fair races our whole lives.”

When his grandfather suffered a stroke, Tom, along with Bobby, took on more responsibilities in the barn, still with the elder’s guidance. He passed away in 2008, and the cousins took over the reins, so to speak. “Grandma had enough faith in us to keep going.” he said.

His cousin Bobby Rougeaux admitted that, even though they grew up around the business, and had their eye on a career in harness racing, an education came first. “We both went to college, and a lot of that was at our parents’ request. They kind of didn’t want us to grow up to just be horsemen,” Bobby laughed. “They pushed us to go to school and get an education. Tom got a Criminology degree, and I had started Penn State, and I have an Animal Science degree. I thought about maybe going to vet school, but after four years, that was enough. I didn’t want four more years of school. When I was in college, my granddad’s health was failing, so I was running home on the weekends and doing as much as I could. When it was time to graduate, it was time to go to work on the farm.”

Bobby trained horses for about fifteen years, and he was listed as the trainer at the time. Tom didn’t have his trainer’s license. “At that time, we’re in our early 20’s, and you know how it is, I guess he thought we would argue about who would be listed as a trainer on a particular horse,” Bobby laughed. “About seven years ago, we had trouble finding an equine dentist. A few older gentlemen that had been doing it had retired, and had since passed away, and I thought I’d learn how to do that and at least do my own, and maybe do some on the side. Well, it’s kind of overtaken my life!” His packed schedule includes working horses in the morning, and equine dentistry in the afternoon, with Fridays reserved for the horses at the Meadows Racetrack. At the recent Hughesville Fair, Bobby worked on at least 78 of the 80 horses entered that day!

The torch has now been passed to Tom to be listed as trainer, and the busy duo are juggling the training, driving, shipping, dentistry, and the farm duties.

Both are enthusiastic about racing on the fair circuit, and look forward to the summer with their young horses. “I’ve got three little kids, ages 11, 9, and 5,” Tom said. “The girls have lessons in the mornings and then we all load in the truck and trailer and ship to the next fair! That’s what it all about. It’s a good learning experience for the horses, and the kids can go. We have a pretty good following, between all the cousins and aunts and uncles that come to the races. The fair racing scene, you get to try to get a good experience for your horse, maybe it keeps them classified to where they can compete with other horses that are along the same level, and then before you go test the waters on the parimutuel tracks, you can teach them a little bit. We get a lot of help and guidance with our horses from Dave Brickell, too.”

“You meet a lot of people over the years, and you become basically like family,” Bobby said. “While the fair racing is not quite as close as that today, because everyone ships up and back, and don’t stay overnight, it’s still a laid back environment. It’s a a good place to expose young horses to different things and teach them. There is different scenery. You can develop them into really good horses that way, so that when you go to the racetrack they are very well prepared.”

As with Tom’s family who travels with him to the fairs, Bobby’s girlfriend, Dr Nicole Drummond, helps with the mares and the breeding.

“We like to be back home on our farm,” Tom said. “We break a lot of colts for other people. In the fall we would get them before they would get sent to the other trainers, and then Bobby would do their teeth. While we’re at home we’re trying to make hay, with close to 400 round bales made so far this year. We have a bunch of broodmares, and we stand and collect stallions and breed mares that way.”

“We got a lot of stuff going on!” Tom laughed.

It’s all about the farm, the fairs, and family for both Tom and Bobby as they continue to work hard in the harness racing business, with an exciting summer of fair racing still ahead.

The PA Fair Schedules, proofs and more!

https://pafairsracing.org/