LOS ALAMITOS : Blumenfeld Stays Close to the Sport

Less than half a mile from Los Alamitos Race Course is a small restaurant called Via Maria. The food is good, the clientele mostly college students and young entrepreneurs.

But it’s also becoming a bit of a hangout for those involved in harness racing.

Paul Blumenfeld, 34, owns Via Maria with Fred Kuebler and both have harness racing connections. In fact, until he bought into Via Maria four years ago, Blumenfeld was a major player in the harness game.

Nearly 20 years ago, when he was 15, he was introduced to harness racing by his father, Stanley, who owned horses. He started as a groom, and worked his way up. When he was 16, Blumenfeld moved from his home on Long Island, N.Y., to California and Los Alamitos.

“My father owned horses with the Kueblers, and they raced out in California when the circuit was very good,” Blumenfeld said. “And I just came out here and loved the weather. I was a young kid and California offered me two good things--weather and girls.”

Blumenfeld gained most of his knowledge working as second trainer for Roger Stein. But at 19, he decided to train on his own.

“I was one of the top trainers out here for years,” he said. “I was one of the youngest trainers to ever win a training title at Los Alamitos. I have a record, I think. I won seven races on one racing card. I don’t think any trainer’s ever done that. I think I’m the only trainer to ever win 100 races in one meet (at Los Alamitos).”

Despite his success, however, Blumenfeld recently decided to give up training.

“I stopped because I just got burned out,” he said. “I literally used to wake up in the morning, like wake up, and I wanted to go to work. I couldn’t wait to get to the barn because it was fun. Toward the end, it was like I’d wake up and go, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to go back there and do it again.’ It was a job. I always said to myself, when it becomes a job, I’ll get out of it.”

Blumenfeld, who kept a stable of 45-70 horses, left the career he loved. Now, his only involvement is as an owner.

“I do miss (training) a little bit,” he said. “I just don’t miss the everyday putting up with the owners and the politics.

“There’s an old saying that’s true. Tell an owner their kid’s ugly, and they can accept that. Tell that owner his horse is no good, they can’t accept that. They want to blame the trainer, they want to blame the driver, they don’t want to say that horse is no good. Their kid is ugly, that’s OK. But that horse is a good horse.”

Blumenfeld has two horses in Rick Plano’s barn at Los Alamitos. He also owns 10 more that are racing on the East Coast, where purses are bigger and racing goes on all year.

One of Blumenfeld’s horses, Tetelestai is expected to start at Los Alamitos this weekend. In his qualifying race, the 3-year-old gelding finished second, pacing the mile in 2:08 3/5.

“He’s a green horse. He’s going to need a couple of starts,” Blumenfeld said. “I don’t think he’s ready to win yet.”

Blumenfeld’s other horse, Savvy Hanover, a 5-year-old stallion, will qualify on Thursday.

Even though Blumenfeld’s involvement in racing is much reduced, he still is concerned about it.

“I think the only way racing will be good is if (the harness people) unite with the quarter horse people,” he said. “I think we need the quarter horses and I think they need us. I think if we raced all year long at Los Alamitos, it would be very viable for everybody. Plus, it might bring the fun back into it.”

This weekend might be a big one for Blumenfeld. He will not only get to watch Tetelestai race at Los Alamitos, hopefully with good results, but is also planning a grand reopening of the newly remodeled Via Maria on Thursday.

Although Blumenfeld devotes much of his time to the restaurant, he still has his trainer’s license and it seems unlikely that he will ever totally give up harness racing.

Just walk into Via Maria and there’s a good chance you’ll see trainers and drivers there, talking to Blumenfeld about the sport they all love.