The owner and operator of Gayle Van Leer Thoroughbred Services, she’s been in the Winner’s Circle many times, garnering well-earned respect from race-horse aficionados. “Horses are very fascinating animals, and watching them grow and develop into athletes, along with trying to predict which one will be the next big stakes winner, never ceases to amaze me,” Van Leer said during a recent interview with The Suit Magazine.
Gayle believes that, “Thoroughbred horse racing is a business of highs, lows and everything in between,” and posits the argument that “you should approach thoroughbred ownership as a business and get sound professional advice from your bloodstock agent [and from] the others on your team, such as trainers, farm managers and your accountant.”
She has worked with the best in the business, she said. One that stands out is Best Pal, who won the Balboa Stakes at the Del Mar Racetrack in California. “Best Pal was special because of his ability to maintain his high-level of performance over the years,” she explained. “He became a huge fan favorite because of that. It was stunning to see the crowds that turned out every time he ran,” she added. “That, for me, is what was so gratifying about being involved with a horse of that caliber.”
Ms. Van Leer explained that the thoroughbred racing industry has, in the past, been dominated by male trainers and owners. “This is something I have not lamented much over the years, preferring to just let my results speak for themselves,” she said. “Yes, there’ve been challenges, and there still are subtle ones now, but things have changed dramatically,” she added, “How did I overcome them,” she rhetorically asked. “I worked two hundred percent at everything that I did. I treated employees and clients fairly, honestly and with respect, and I earned my way by producing good results.”
As a horse trainer, Van Leer is quick to point out that the thoroughbred industry is not for thin-skinned people – and, certainly, she has the track record to back it up. From August 1988-1997, she was the racing manager for John and Betty Mabee of Gold Eagle Farm, winning the first three Eclipse Awards as outstanding breeder (1991) and triumphantly earning the North American titles as breeder and owner (1992). Prior to this, she broke the 1982 Eclipse Award winner, Roving Boy, and coached him for his entire racetrack life while at the same time training at San Luis Rey Downs. She’s advised clients to purchase such horses as Runaway Dancer, winner of the 2005 Jim Murray Memorial Handicap and the 2003 Carleton F. Burke Handicap, and Cause to Believe, winner of the 2006 El Camino Real Derby. As an agent, she sold Leave Me Alone for $35,000 at the 2003 Del Mar yearling auction before the thoroughbred captured the 2005 Test Stakes.
What was her toughest job?
“I would have to say that certainly my experience working for Gold Eagle Farm was the most challenging, but, in a way, every day there was a new adventure,” she said. “Given the huge numbers of horses they had, a broodmare band was always on the high side of three hundred horses; at any given time, there were 125-150 horses in training, if you include the two-year-olds, and then toss in 10-15 different trainers with their own agendas,” she added, “farm personnel, and a boss that, well, he started work at 4:30 a.m. or 5:30 a.m. each day and was still calling you at 6 p.m., so I guess that fits the definition of challenging.”
Her second love is marine biology. Van Leer said she seems more at home in the water and has great adoration for the ocean. She recognizes the extraordinary treasures of the deep sea. “I work hard in the horse business so I can go scuba diving.”
Despite the current economic downturn, Van Leer said, “I think there’ll always be thoroughbred racing in the U.S., although it is unlikely to regain the popularity it had years ago. Racing is in a huge flux at the moment, but I feel we will evolve into something that will live in a different state than what it has been for the past 30 or 40 years.”
She seems rather reflective today because some horses leave an indelible impression on trainers. “Best Pal is being inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York, this year,” Van Leer said with a bittersweet tone. “His death was unexpected, but what was more unexpected was the demand from fans for a memorial service. I can’t believe how many people made the drive to Ramona for a service for Best Pal,” she added. “It was a very special experience being associated with such an outstanding race horse that oozed personality to go with his sheer talent. I had the pleasure of riding him and then truly understood how different he was. One of my favorite photos is me on Best Pal.”
http://www.gaylevanleer.com/
