Have a Question About Racing, Training, Horse Care?? Click here to ASK DOMINIC. 

Dominic Fama:

I've held a trainer's license since 1989. I began training at Bay Meadows Racetrack in San Mateo California. Currently, I am 4 th in the thoroughbred trainer standings at Los Alamitos Racetrack in Cypress, California. I look forward to having owners with the financial resources to allow me to compete at the major racetracks someday. Aside from my experience as a trainer, I also have an extensive background in the financial field as a former investment analyst, stock and options plan portfolio manager, and as a stock options market maker. I train thoroughbreds because I enjoy working with these gallant athletes. My only regret is that training racehorses is not as financially rewarding as my previous positions. But I can't think of a more enjoyable career.

My philosophy about racehorses and horseracing:

Simply, horseracing is about the racehorses. It's easy for us to forget because there is so much money and so many egos involved in this sport. It is not uncommon for racehorses to be treated as disposable toys by individuals who are in this sport to become famous or rich. Ironically, more people will remember John Henry, Swaps, Seattle Slew, Northern Dancer, and Secretariat without a clue as to who owned, trained, or rode them. So as a trainer I leave my ego in the parking lot and encourage my owners to do the same; to be fiscally responsible and enjoy their opportunity to be involved with such great athletes in the sport of kings. Your racehorse is a result of a genetic milkshake concocted by someone who thought they had a better idea. There have only been eleven Triple Crown winners out of more horses than flees on a cat. So don't be upset at your horse if it can't live up to your expectations.

Big Purses – the ultimate goal?

The money that comes with winning these races is provided to help promote the sport and advance the breed, not to inflate one's ego. The horse wins a race, not because I am the trainer, or you are the owner, or it was ridden by a certain jockey. A horse wins a race because it was prepared to do so, and it wanted to win. Everybody else around it just helped, from the groom to the gate crew. When adequate preparation is presented with an opportunity, a win often occurs. It is true, however, that the best horses gravitate towards the most money.

Breed the best to the best….:

If it were only that easy. Not all thoroughbreds are racehorses no matter who their parents are. Horses will let me know within a reasonable time, whether or not they are interested in being a race horse. If I'm lucky, the ones who want to be racehorses will have the talent, the physical attributes, and the right disposition to succeed. The only things that can stymie a good racehorse's career are a delusional and inept trainer, a meddling owner with hubris, and a just plain rotten luck. A great trainer is merely a conduit to winning races. He or she allows the racehorse to develop into its full potential. Trainers that say they can “make” a horse win are laughable. A racehorse wins because of the sum of its being, successfully coping with the situation at hand, and not because of some trainer's master plan. The most important aspect of my job as a trainer is to recognize the full potential of the horse, and to then allow him to reach it. The rest is rudimentary.

When the dust settles:

Every athletic career has an end. The sport owes it to these equine athletes to try to provide them with a good home where they can live out the rest of their lives in peace, because they are incapable of doing it themselves. It is not their fault that they were not fast enough, or that they were not able to live up to expectations. It was the industry that created them for the sport, and it should be the people within the industry that should provide for their welfare when their tour of duty is over. I suggest that a small portion of each racetrack's mutual handle be set aside for this purpose and a portion of the owner's license fees be used for this purpose as well.

We wish to acknowledge trainer Dominic Fama for his compassion in assisting us with placements for OTTB's.  In the last few months we have worked with Dominic to retire the following horses:  Miz Paradis, Long Arm of the Da Law, Lake Havens, Really Kickin', Cold Stone Angel, Golden Charmer and Tresor La Vie.   Dominic trains at Los Alamitos and often times the horses that he receives are at the end of their careers and/or already have pre-existing race conditions.   Dominic realizes when his horses need retirement and always makes a sincere effort to find them homes.  He gets no compensation for the many hours he spends doing this...meeting people...answering telephone calls and emails and keeping the horses fed and housed at his own expense until new arrangements can be made.   Any horse under Dominic's care will be humanely handled and as a current owner says "He pushes them but not over the limits of their  endurance."  This is a new column where the long-time trainer will help educate us and answer our questions about racing, training and horsemanship.  Please email your questions to Dominic at info@neighsavers.com.