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| Bruce Headley |
Stats Updated Through: 7/13/2007
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| 2007 Stats: | | Starts | | 75 | | 1st-2nd-3rd | | 8-14-9 | | Earnings (Rank) | | $764,150 (129) | | Win % (In-The-Money %) | | 10% (41%) |
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Top Associated Horses:
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Arson Squad,
Silver Swallow,
Beneath the Radar,
Magnificience,
Lucky Stab,
Catch That Thief |
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Biography and Highlights:
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- Born: Feb. 14, 1934, in Baldwin Park, Calif.
- Residence: Arcadia, Calif.
- Family: wife Aase; children Karen and Gus, who are his assistants. Aase (pronounced Oh-suh) co-owns about 75 horses with her husband and various other partners. She handles the books for the racing operation and also is the stable's private morning clocker
- Racing Background: Introduced to racing at age six by his aunt and uncle, a trainer ... He went to Suzy Q Ranch in La Puente, Calif., with aspiring jockey Bill Shoemaker in 1948 … Was an exercise rider from 1949-59. He galloped Kentucky Derby and Preakness starter No Regrets in 1956 ... Took out his trainer's license in 1959 after purchasing a filly named Thorium at the encouragement of trainer Frank Childs … Trains all his young horses on land that he converted into a training center behind his home near Santa Anita
- Racing Career: Headley often buys his own horses and campaigns them as co-owner with clients. In 2009, he comes to the Breeders' Cup with two contenders for the Filly & Mare Sprint: G2-placed Silver Swallow, a $55,000 purchase by Headley at the 2005 Keeneland September yearling sale that he co-owns with Gainesway Farm and Irwin Molasky. The other is 4-year-old Free Flying Soul, a consistent stakes winner he co-owns with one of his major clients, Marsha Naify. ... Headley's stable was led in 2008 by multiple Grade 1 stakes winner Street Boss, who finished third in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Co-owned by Headley with Naify and Simon Yu, Street Boss equaled or set track records at each of the three Southern California racetracks in 2008. ... Headley also co-owned with Naify the multiple G2 winner Surf Cat, who had his best year in 2008 but concluded the season with a last-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. Surf Cat went over the $1-million earnings mark with his second-place finish in the 2008 San Diego Handicap ... He co-owned Magnificience, seventh in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, with Hill 'n' Dale Farm, Tom Lenner, and Irwin Molasky. He had purchased her from Hill 'n' Dale's consignment at the 2005 Keeneland September yearling sale for $120,000. After the Breeders' Cup, they sold her for $1,000,000 at the 2008 Keeneland November mixed sale to John Ferguson, agent for Sheikh Mohammed. ... Scored his biggest career win with Kona Gold in the 2000 Breeders' Cup Sprint. Kona Gold set a Churchill Downs and Breeders' Cup record of 1:07.77 for six furlongs and went on to earn an Eclipse Award as champion sprinter that year ... One of only two horses to make five Breeders' Cup appearances, the gelding raced in five consecutive Sprints. In addition to his victory in 2000, he finished third in 1998, second in 1999, seventh in 2001 and fourth in 2002, accumulating $955,840 in Breeders' Cup purse money ... Headley had a 33 percent interest in Kona Gold. Kona Gold's race in the 2001 Sprint was the first start at New York's Belmont Park for Headley, who rarely travels outside of California. Kona Gold was retired in July 2003 and was given a special retirement ceremony at Del Mar the following month. "He was quite the star, even in retirement," Headley said during the ceremony. "He didn't turn a hair out there. Nothing made him nervous. He did everything we wanted." … Kona Gold was a stable pony for Headley's barn before moving to the Hall of Champions at the Kentucky Horse Park in early 2008 following the death of longtime resident John Henry ... Sadly, Kona Gold suffered a freak paddock accident in Sept. 2009 and had to be euthanized ... Prior to Kona Gold, Headley's best finish in a Breeders' Cup race was a second in the 1991 Juvenile with Bertrando. Bertrando had a clear lead in the stretch but was defeated by Arazi in one of Breeders' Cup's most memorable moments … Saddled Fine Spirit to a third-place finish in inaugural Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in 1984 ... Sent out Variety Road to an upset victory over Broad Brush, Snow Chief and Ferdinand in the 1987 San Fernando Stakes … Grade 1 winner Got Koko, who he purchased for $30,000 at the 2000 Keeneland September yearling sale, pulled off one the biggest upsets of 2003 by defeating defending Horse of the Year Azeri in the Lady's Secret Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Santa Anita, ending Azeri's 11-race win streak. In addition, Got Koko became just the third horse to sweep the three-race La Canada series in 2003 by winning the La Canada, La Brea and El Encino. She finished third in the 2003 Breeders' Cup Distaff (now Ladies' Classic) … One of six horsemen accused of defrauding vintner Jess Jackson in horse dealings and the purchase of the former Buckram Oak Farm. He settled his part in the lawsuit for a reported $900,000 in March 2007 ... Headley has trained more than 15 additional graded stakes winners over the years for clients that have included Kjell Qvale, 505 Farms, Old English Rancho, Golden Eagle Farm, Jay Em Ess Stable and Frank Stronach...Went over the $1-million earnings mark for the 11th straight year in 2008 with 21 victories from 148 starters and earnings of $1,993,761. ... Headley has already had 27 wins from 149 starts through Oct. 26, 2009, with earnings of $1,086,656.
Breeders' Cup Record| Starts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Earnings | | 14 | 1 | 2 | 4 | $1,726,640 |
| 1984 | Juvenile Fillies | Fine Spirit | 3rd | | 1991 | Juvenile | Bertrando | 2nd | | 1996 | Sprint | Lakota Brave | 5th | | 1998 | Sprint | Kona Gold | 3rd | | 1999 | Sprint | Kona Gold | 2nd | | | Sprint | Son of a Pistol | 13th | | 2000 | Sprint | Kona Gold | 1st | | 2001 | Sprint | Kona Gold | 7th | | 2002 | Sprint | Kalookan Queen | 5th | | | Sprint | Kona Gold | 4th | | 2003 | Distaff | Got Koko | 3rd | | 2008 | Dirt Mile | Surf Cat | 12th | | | Filly & Mare Sprint | Magnificience | 7th | | | Sprint | Street Boss | 3rd |
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NOTE: Stats include North American and selected international races. Click here to view selected international race list.
Biographies on jockeys, trainers and owners are from the Breeders' Cup World Championships events from 2001 through 2009, and are intended as informational resources. Biographies will be updated if an individual is again a participant in the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
Biographies are available for most horses appearing in the top 100 money earnings list, and/or for those who are frequently making headlines in the news starting with the 2006 Triple Crown season.
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