Neil Drysdale

Background

Born in Haslemere, Surrey, his father was a Royal Marine who served with the United States. Marines in of Korea.

Education

Drysdale studied at the University of Barcelona, and then taught English as a foreign language - but then switched his mind to horses.

Career

He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2000. He moved to Florida to work with show horses, and then became involved with racing thoroughbreds, spending two years with John Hartigan at Tartan Farms in Ocala, Florida. He then moved to a thoroughbred stable in Argentina, then managed a stud farm in Venezuela.

Drysdale returned to the United States and worked as an assistant to Roger Laurin for two years, and then between 1970 and 1974 he was assistant to Charlie Whittingham in California.

He says the most important things he learned from Whittingham were patience and planning. In 1983, Drysdale opened his racing office in Playa Delegate Rey, California.

Achievements

• Based in Playa Delegate Rey, California, he has won two Triple Crown races – the Belmont Stakes (G1) with A.P. Industry in 1992 and the Kentucky Derby (G1) with Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000. He began working for Corbin Robertson"s Saron Stable in 1974, notably winning eight races with Bold "n Determined in 1980 (a bicoastal Grade 1 winner between 1979 and 1981 and winner of 16 of 20 starts), including a triumph over eventual division champion Genuine Risk His first major winner was Forceten, and he has since saddled a total of 31 Breeders" Cup runners and has six winners to his cr, including 1992 winner A.P. Industry - a total exceeded only by D. Wayne Lukas and Claude "Shug" McGaughey. A.P. Industry plus Princess Rooney, Tasso and Hollywood Wildcat all went from winning the Breeders" Cup to win the Eclipse Awards, with A.P. Industry voted the 1992 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year.