Page 31 - New Mexico Horse Breeder, Fall

Gonzalez won the All American five years ago with Handsome Jack Flash, his brother Eduardo was the trainer of the second place horse, Reagal Eagle.
Eliseo Gonzalez, another one of Juan Carlos’ uncles, was Juan Gonzalez’ assistant for many years. When Eliseo decided to retire, that was about the same time Juan Carlos was pondering leaving his civil engineering job.
Juan Gonzalez’ stable was full of horses and he needed help. Juan Carlos needed a change of scenery. A perfect storm.
“We were getting a lot of horses in, thank God,” says Juan Carlos. “I told my dad I wasn’t really happy with this sort of life. I thought, I’ll be getting married soon and getting home at four in the morning three times a week is not the life I wanted.
“My dad said if I wasn’t happy, there was always a spot with his team.”
Like all parents, Juan and Patricia Gonzalez have always wanted the best for their four children. Juan quit school after the sixth grade to help his father train horses, so education has always been a paramount part of Juan and Patricia Gonzalez’ upbringing of Juan Carlos, Isabela, Allison Belen and Manuel.
Isabela, 28, has a master’s degree in public health and is currently enrolled in a physical therapy doctoral program at UTEP.
Allison Belen, 21, attends New Mexico State with hopes of becoming a veterinarian. Manuel, 16, is a junior at Coronado High School and a rising star soccer player.
Juan and Patricia’s diligence in fostering their education and preserving the family’s Mexican heritage has never wavered. Despite his limited education, it was Juan who taught Juan Carlos the multiplication tables in math and both he and Patricia made sure the kids learned to speak Spanish first.
“In my house, we never spoke English,” says Juan Gonzalez. “I wanted to know what they (children) were saying. I knew they’d learn English when they went to school.”
But there was also a part of Juan Gonzalez that hoped his oldest son would follow in the family’s racing tradition.
“I wanted him to be a veterinarian because that is a natural transition to horse racing, but
he said he wanted to be an engineer. I told him, ‘whatever you want, but make sure you finish.’ In my heart, I wanted him to get into the horses.”
There was no long-term plan in place when Juan Carlos went to work with his dad.
“I told him, let’s try it a couple of months,” recalls Juan Carlos. “If it doesn’t work for me, I’ll just look for another job with another engineering company. So, I started with him with no plans of staying permanently. I was helping my dad out for three months. We would play it by ear.”
As Juan Carlos grew into the job, the job grew on him.
“I found out I liked it far more than being in an office. In my (engineering) job, you’d go
FALL 2018 29
Juan and Juan Carlos Gonzales wih jockey Jaime Parga Leos aboard Suze Returns.