Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing's

Trainer of the Month
for October 2010

Bruce Saunders

As a student of finance at Temple University, East Rutherford's Bruce Saunders had no idea that one day he would be one of the most sought-after trainers in the Meadowlands.

Unlike many trainers for whom working with horses is a family tradition passed down through generations, Saunders was the first in his family to work with them. Saunders came to the sport later in life; he has a background in finance from both Temple and the University of Delaware and worked in Maryland's Division of Economic Development. However, he left the position after a change of administration and found himself looking for a new path in life.

Bruce Saunders

"I was in no rush to put a coat and tie back on," he said. "I had always enjoyed the sport from the other side as a patron… but I never envisioned at any time I'd be doing what I'm doing now." Saunders started spending time with a friend who trained horses. The more time he spent around him the more he began to see himself getting into it himself.

"Before I knew it I was heading into the business," he said. "For the next 10 years the horses ate better than I did."

These horses aren't cheap. Saunders doesn't own his own horses but in the past he's invested in some of them; most of them are owned by other organizations or individuals. Currently Saunders trains horses for about 15 to 20 different owners and he estimates it can cost around $30,000 to $40,000 just to keep any one of them in training.

On a typical day Saunders gets an early start—especially during the summer when the days start out hot and only get hotter. By 5:30 a.m. Saunders in the stables at the Meadowlands getting ready to put his pupils through their paces.

"It's not all that different from conditioning a human athlete," he said. "You develop a foundation for stamina and you work on developing speed… A successful horse is a horse that's happy physically and happy mentally."

But Saunders has gotten good at it. Over the course of his career, the horses he's trained have had 977 wins and won just under $22 million in purses. Most of his wins have been at the Meadowlands Racetrack, where today Saunders ranks among the track's all-time trainers.

"The game has changed immensely because of improvements in tracks, equipment and training techniques," said Saunders.

Saunders gained national attention when his trainee, Rock N Roll Heaven capatured harness racing's coveted Little Brown Jug on Sep. 23, 2010 at the Delaware County Fair in Ohio in world record clocking heats. The colt then captured the second colt-pacer elim for the Breeders Crown at Pocono Downs, Oct. 2 for Saunders.

Saunders said Rock N Roll Heaven is very versatile … and always ready to compete,

“My horse is very versatile. He can race up front or come off the pace. He’ll go any way Danny (Dube) wants him to go. Rock N Roll Heaven is very fresh … When we get him on the track he’s going to want to race.”