Starting Handal Racing, LLC is a dream that Raymond Handal has pursued since he was a young boy. He began his career in the horse racing industry in his early teen years and has since worked for Trainers who have won races such as the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes, and other major Grade 1 races. Ray also was the Assistant Trainer and Exercise Rider of a horse named Giant Finish who qualified and competed in the 2013 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes races. During his 10 year career he has worked his way up from the very bottom as a horse Hot-Walker to Assistant Trainer. The next natural step in his career was to branch out on his own and become a Thoroughbred Racehorse Trainer.

Handal Racing provides quality training and care programs tailored to each horse’s needs. Ray is committed to keeping his clients happy by not only creating training programs that produce successful athletes that win races but also by creating open lines of communication that go above and beyond. His goal will be to make sure that his clients have all the information that they need in order to make knowledgeable decisions about their equine investments. The pillars of Handal Racing’s success are integrity, ethical treatment of the horses, tailored training & care programs, and constant client communication & education.

Training Horses To Be Winning Athletes 

The mission of Handal Racing is to maximize the return on our client’s thoroughbred investments, principally through strategic training programs that increase the horse’s performance and produce successful athletes.  Ray will manage the stable’s day-to-day operations and train horses to win races.  The basis of this program is that the care and training programs are tailored to the horse’s individual needs and level.  He doesn’t believe that there is a one size fits all training program.  Horses that participate in the Handal Racing program are confident, fit, and healthy.

Ray believes in doing right by the horse above all else.  The best results will be achieved if the health and well-being of the horse is the number one priority.  Sometimes this is as simple as doing daily health examinations or giving the horse extra time to graze.   Sometimes this involves a more intricate process of determining if a horse needs a long-term layoff or time to rehabilitate from an injury.  The thoroughness of the care provided ensures that Ray’s horses are able to compete at the top level and to their full potential.

Nutrition

Just like human athletes, Thoroughbred racehorses require a carefully balanced diet and the appropriate nutrition in order to compete at the top of their game. Ray feeds all of his horses Hallway Race 13, a high energy-high performance fortified sweet feed and the first choice of many of the top trainers in the world. The sweet feed is accompanied by Equi Jewel Rice Bran which supports digestion and muscle function, and Flax Seed Oil which is high in Omega-3 fatty acids that help to support the immune system and reduce possible inflammation in joints.

To provide other variations of Omega 3 in his horses’ diets, Ray gives each horse a daily dose of Well Pride Fish Oil which assists in focus, digestion, respiration, energy, and hoof and joint health. Each horse also receives Cod Liver Oil every day to aid in a healthy coat, strong bones and suppleness. Both the Well Pride and the Cod Liver Oil are administered orally as opposed to in the horses’ feed to assure that the horses receive all of the intended dose.

To promote a healthy level of hydration, each horse gets electrolytes daily. In addition, every horse in the barn is administered APF Pro, a supplement developed by Auburn Labs that protects the immune system from stress, improves recovery from physical exertion, and helps to resist gastric upset – to name just a few of it’s many benefits.

Ray takes the time to analyze the diets of each of his horses individually, as different equines require more or less in different areas. Horses that might need a little help to build and maintain muscle may receive Body Builder, while those that show signs of EPM will get EPM Suspension. Whatever it is, Ray uses his extensive knowledge and experience to provide his horses with natural supplements and a balanced diet to remain happy and healthy – because happy horses are fast horses!