The horses sprint around Keeneland’s track, kicking up dirt as they speed past.

Spectators scream and cheer, all eyes focused on the massive animals racing toward the finish.

However, one horse stands off to the side of the racetrack, going unnoticed. No number drapes over its back, no 100-pound jockey sits on top of it.This horse, named Hoss, won’t compete with the 3-year-olds that race on the opening day of Keeneland’s Spring Meet. Twelve-year-old Hoss, and his owner Gene Vosler, will have to work longer than two minutes.

Vosler, who has been an outrider for Lexington’s thoroughbred racetrack for six years, said he found Hoss while working at a track in New Orleans.

“He used to be a racehorse, but he wasn’t very successful,” Vosler said. “He’s a nice horse, so I brought him back here because I wanted him to have a good home.”

So Hoss traveled to Kentucky to work as an outrider horse with Vosler. Outriders work all day at the racetrack, guardians to the racehorses and their jockeys.

The job is divided into morning and afternoon work, Vosler said.

As the sun rises, trainers lead their horses out to the track for a chance to stretch their legs. Hoss watches instead, keeping an eye out with Vosler to ensure the safety of the early morning riders.

“Sometimes riders will fall off of their horse,” Vosler said. ”We help riders when they need it.”

After the long morning, the races begin.

To guarantee no horse is late for its race, the outriders follow those competing around the paddock before the race. Here, the racehorses are mounted and led to the track.

Hoss and Vosler make sure the horses get to the track on time, and in one piece.

An outrider leads the racehorse to its appropriate gate. Sometimes a nervous horse will attempt to make a run for it once on the track and it’s the outrider’s job to catch the runaway horse.

First racing in Nebraska, Vosler has since worked at tracks in New Orleans, Chicago, San Antonio, Texas, and Hot Springs, Ark.

“I got it from my dad’s side,” he said. “I’ve been racing since I was a little boy.”

Hoss and Vosler share more than the official Keeneland-green of their uniforms. Both former racers, the two are now little more than spectators of the fast-paced sport.

Hoss follows the line of jockeys and horses through the hallway under Keeneland’s stands on Friday. Unlike the jumpy racehorses itching to cross the finish line, Hoss stands calm and still.

Despite living at a racetrack, the outrider’s horse will never wear a number that thousands bet on, never get the chance to win a trophy, never have the best odds.

Hoss is the horse that will never race.