Gary West - The self-made billionaire bitten by the racing bug

Gary West’s first job as a teenager was as a pinsetter at an old bowling alley in Iowa. He has been rolling strikes ever since. West, a Thoroughbred owner for 32 years, has settled into a life of philanthropy in posh Rancho Santa Fe, California, with his wife Mary, after becoming a self-made billionaire in telecommunications, but he has not forgotten his humble roots.

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THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER - ISSUE 26

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Author: Steve Schuelein

The Whip Debate

Whipping offenses are arguably the most controversial part of horseracing when it comes to opinion of a non-racing public, to whom hitting a racehorse is strictly a punishment and a cruelty as opposed to a safety tool or a reminder to keep a horse’s mind on task. At North American Trainer, we were interested in how this topic is viewed across some of the major racing countries and compiled thoughts from writers based in Australia, the United States, and Europe.

By Mitchell Lamb, Gary West, Colin Mackenzie

First Published (20 April 2011 - Issue 20)

Texas - at the crossroads

It wasn’t that long ago, 1987 in fact, after the Texas legislature passed The Racing Act, that some pressbox wag in Louisiana said: “Last horseman out, turn off the lights.” That was the expectation in those days: that horses and horsemen from around the country would flock to Texas once the state allowed pari-mutuel racing. Texas, after all, was widely considered to be horse racing’s “promised land.”

By Gary West

First Published (02 February 2011 - Issue Number: Issue 19)