Page 98 - December 2016

I want a horse where, when he comes off a racetrack, you can throw a stock saddle on him and ride him without blinkers.
John Moorehouse
Wes Giles
by John Moorehouse
Accomplished racehorse trainer Wes Giles estimates that, at one point this year, the number of competitive Quarter Horses under his charge was in the triple digits. Giles plans to scale back somewhat in 2017, partly because of changes
in the Quarter Horse racing industry. He sees less opportunities for Quarter Horses, and aged Quarter Horses in particular.
“We’re losing interest for Quarter Horses,” he said. “We’ve got to get that back or our industry’s going to drop down.”
For Giles, this industry is also a family business. His father, Ed Giles, was one of the winningest train- ers in the nation during the 1980s and early ‘90s. Now, Giles’ son, Jason, is following in the family footsteps and is part of his father’s team.
As of press time, Giles has won a total of $1,084,377 this year for the connections of the vari- ous horses he trains. He is also a 2016 AQHA leading trainer by money earned.
Read what Giles had to say about his family business, and more, in the latest installment of The Backside.
Q: How would you sum up 2016 for your race team?
A: It was okay. We had, I don’t know, we had some pretty good luck. We had some good two year olds. Probably lacking in the three year old deal.
Q: What’s been the biggest highlight of the year for you?
A: Probably the horse that we had in Ruidoso, (Apolltical Chad) the one that won the Ruidoso Futurity. There was a big group of people that owned him and it made it a lot of fun. I have one four-year- old filly, (2015 Champion) Astica, and she’s run twice and run really, really nice.
Q: You run so many horses. What is your secret to keeping things organized?
A: I’m lucky because I’ve got my family involved and I trust them. My wife. There’s usually two tracks running all the time, she’s usually at one and I’m usually at the other one. In the fall, my son takes over and it gives us a chance to get away for a couple of months. We don’t get away (on vacation), but we get away to the farm and get off the racetrack for a couple of months so your body and mind can start over. If you don’t ever have a break, you get tired of doing it.
It just keeps me more energized for Sunland and for Ruidoso, if they give me a chance to get away from the track for two or three months.
Q: Did you ever consider not entering the family business, so to speak?
A: I was raised around it, and no. When I first started, I was actually building homes. That was back in the late 70’s, early 80’s. Interest rates got really high back then and home building got real slow. I really enjoyed it, but the paychecks were real bad. That’s when I kind of converted. I went to work with my dad part time until home building started back up.
It did start back up shortly after that, but I didn’t want to go back. He had expanded quite a bit and he needed extra help.
Q: How would you describe your training style?
A: We break probably 90 percent of our own horses that we get. We spend some time when we break them. Some people ride them a couple of weeks and say they’re broke. The first 30 days we ride them 26 days. We take off Sundays, but other than that, we’re riding them. I want a horse where, when he comes off a racetrack, you can throw a stock saddle on him and ride him without blinkers. My dad was the same way. Whether it was five below zero or whatever it was, we broke horses that day. We didn’t just sit around at the coffee shop. That’s how my dad did it and it’s pretty much how I did it.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a trainer?
A: You’ve got to devote your life to it. There’s nothing else. You’ve got to give up everything, all the little things in your life you think you like. It’s a seven-day-a-week job and if you’re not devoted 100 percent, you don’t belong in that business.
A TRAINER’S VIEW
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SPEEDHORSE, December 2016
THE BACKSIDE