Andrew Lerner steps away from horse racing and into fatherhood

Now that Andrew Lerner is the father of a one-month old daughter, he’s qualified to lend his expertise in a rather delicate area.

What’s tougher, changing a diaper or saddling a winner at Santa Anita?

“I’d say training a winner is still tougher,” said the 32-year-old Lerner, who’s finding sleep a bit tougher to come by since his wife, Katie, gave birth to their daughter Kinsley.

“Now that I’m retired, I think I’m changing more of the diapers. I’ve gotten pretty damn good at it.”

Lerner kinda shocked the local horse racing fraternity last week when he announced he was retiring as a trainer. He’d only been at it for five years, but a person’s focus changes when they’ve been married for less than a year and already have another mouth to feed.

“My priorities changed,” Lerner said during a telephone interview Thursday. “I didn’t want to miss a lot of events like doctor’s appointments, things like that, and I thought, ‘You know what? Once this child is born, I want to be there for a lot of it and not at the track all the time.’”

Lerner admits the decision caught most people off guard. He said he’d been considering the move for six or seven months before he made it official.

“I think it shocked a few people,” he said. “A few people knew. I kind of kept it close to the vest, but I let some owners know and a couple of trainers that I’m close with. I think it was the right decision for me.”

Loud Loud Music, who won last Friday’s first race at Santa Anita, was Lerner’s last winner. His last starter, Surely Spectacular, finished sixth in Saturday’s ninth race.

Katie, who played a major role in steering Lerner into life at the race track, also was a major influence in his decision to return to the world of commercial real estate. The Lerners had been dating for about seven years before they tied the knot in December.

“She’s the one who pushed me into (racing) when I wanted to train,” he said. “She helped me study for my trainer’s exam. She moved to Arcadia for me. She was really a catalyst in helping me kind of live out this dream. She’s been supportive starting and now ending. It’s nice to have a partner like that.”

There are four horses Lerner trained that will hold a special place in his heart, beginning with multiple-stakes winner Queen Bee to You, who won a pair of Grade III races – the Bayakoa and the La Cañada – at Santa Anita.

“I’ll never forget that race (the 2020 La Cañada), going head to head with one of (Bob) Baffert’s horses (Der Lu) and coming out victorious,” Lerner said.

But trainers aren’t always partial to just their stakes winners.

Lerner trained a cheap claimer named Bow And Arrow, who gave his all every time he ran.

“I loved that horse,” he said. “He won three in a row for me and I had a special affinity for him. He was such a cool horse and he always was gritty.”

So was Platinum Equity.

“He won three off the claim for me,” Lerner said.

And, last but not least, Octopus will always be remembered by Andrew and Katie.

“He won on my wedding day and that was very cool,” he said. “I wasn’t there, but he won.”

Lerner owns a share in the 2-year-old colt Il Capitano, who ran a disappointing last in the Zuma Beach Stakes at Santa Anita earlier this month and is now trained by Simon Callaghan.

“He’s one that people should keep an eye on,” he said.

As Lerner looks back at his training career, he believes he accomplished more than what he hoped for and he treasures the relationships he helped form during his five-year run.

“I’ll remember my staff more than anyone,” he said. “I really cultivated a great relationship with my assistant Gustavo (Benitez). They’ve become family to me. When I started, I wanted that kind of relationship with my team, kind of a family. We’re going into battle together and we’re gonna win together or we’re gonna lose together, but we’re gonna do it together. I think that’s what I’ll miss most, that camaraderie with my team.”

Follow Art Wilson on Twitter @Sham73