Venezuelan trainer Jose D’Angelo has enjoyed rapid success since first establishing his stable in the US in 2019. In just five years, the 33-year-old has competed in several the world’s biggest races on the most beautiful courses—the Preakness Stakes (G1), the Breeders’ Cup World Championship, the Dubai World Cup (G1) and now his latest adventure—Royal Ascot. This year, D’Angelo became the only trainer in the United States to make the board at the prestigious Royalty meeting when his $9,000 colt Gabaldon finished a gallant second in the Windsor Castle Stakes. Owned by Soldi Stables, the 2-year-old has qualified for the Ascot starting gate after a sharp debut in the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
D’Angelo spoke to BloodHorse on his time at Royal Ascot and the painful defeat to Gabaldon, adapting to sales and racing in North America, and reflects on the horse who first put his name on the national radar four years ago: Jesus’ team .
BloodHorse: Can you talk about your experience at Royal Ascot? Is it what you expected?
Jose D’Angelo: It’s great. When (Gabaldon) won the Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes, I thought it was the perfect time to go there. As soon as we qualified to go from Gulfstream, I called George Weaver (who won the 2023 Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes No Nay Mets at Royal Ascot). I have to thank him – he explained to me the process and events involved (with going to Ascot) and also Fergus Galvin. He helped me choose the right race for Gabaldon. At Ascot you have a lot of races that are very similar to here, so that’s refreshing. He was a big help. Both (Weaver and Galvin) pointed me in the right direction.
BH: What are some of the differences in training and racing at Royal Ascot compared to the US?
JD: There are many different horse training places over there, while over here we only have one racetrack. In England you have fields, synthetic tracks and galloping lanes. You must be confident in your horse’s fitness as a trainer.
One of the most important things I learned there is that you have to know and understand the track. The road is very hilly. It starts downhill but (second from last stage) goes uphill and then the final stage goes downhill again. It’s hard for riders to judge.
Everyone told me I had to walk the track with (racer Emisael) Jaramillo. We ended up walking the track with (racer) Oisin Murphy and he explained to us what to do and noticed what the lowest points on the track were.
Gabaldon trains in England in front of Windsor Castle
BH: You’ve won graded stakes races in the US but what does it mean for you and your team to ride to Royal Ascot and perform the way he did?
JD: It’s important to us. Going abroad with a horse, especially a 2 year old, is difficult. My team and I have been to Dubai before but we left with an older horse from Florida. But in the case of Gabaldon, we had to go Churchill Downs, trained there for a day, then left Indiana the next day and then went to England. The horse had a lot of class and he handled the ride.
Over the last few days since I’ve been home, I’ve been watching the races on TV and you see everyone there all dressed up and it’s crazy to think that we almost won there. We will win next time.
BH: Did you expect such a performance from Gabaldon?
JD: I had a lot of trust in him. I told the owners the morning of the race ‘Hey, don’t worry about us today, they’ll see us up front all the way. It won’t touch us.’
You know, he’s very fast. During training for this race, I knew I was going to lose by a stroke, so I focused on training him to come out of the gate fast. I’ve taken him to the gate many times here (in Florida). And his workouts are always designed to help him increase his speed. It worked for him and he had a huge run.
BH: What’s next for Gabaldon going forward?
JD: Probably aiming for the Breeders’ Cup (Juvenile Turf Sprint, G1T). But the trip is a great stress for the horse. He was there less than a week from arriving, training, racing and then leaving the day after the race. He’s going to a farm to rest and he’ll let us know when he’s ready to come back.
Gabaldon (grey horse) finished second to Ain’t Who in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Ascot Racecourse
BH: Can you talk about your relationship with his owner, Soldi Stables?
JD: We have a good relationship. Alfonso Soued and Eli Soldi. They have supported me for many years. They ventured there with a 2 year old child. If you lose there and don’t succeed, you may lose some better opportunities here that are worth more. But I thank you both for supporting and believing in me. We went there with a horse we paid $9,000 for that had no great pedigree and never lost faith in us.
BH: You’ve been very good at winning stakes races with cheap horses. Jesus’ team ran for $25,000 when you first got him, There’s no time left won the Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) and he’s priced at $40,000, and is now Gabaldon.
JD: When they run they run, they don’t know how much you paid them. You just have to try to understand them and they will try to give the best they have.
BH: What do you typically look for when buying a horse at a sale?
JD: I came to the US in 2019. Buying horses here is a lot different than in Venezuela. In Venezuela, you have to try to buy bigger, stronger horses. There are a lot of horses for sale here and when I first came here I felt very out of place. In 2020 I met Kenny McPeek. I told him ‘Hey Kenny, I want to learn from you, you always have nice horses’. He let me shadow him on two sales and gave me some advice and then the next year I did the same with Donato Lanni and Bob Baffert. I learned a lot with them.
When I go into sales, I try to apply the knowledge I’ve learned and I feel like it’s worked so far.
BH: Did you grow up with horses in Venezuela?
JD: I grew up in a warehouse. My father is a coach in Venezuela. He came to the United States in 2015. In 2012, I received my license and began training on my own in Venezuela. I did very well. I won the Eclipse there for the top trainee instructor position. I won the big race there.
I moved to the US in 2019 just to look for better opportunities. The second year we went to the Preakness, the third year we went to Dubai and now we go to Royal Ascot. I am very happy with my decision to come here.
BH: What goals did you have for yourself when you came to America to start training?
JD: It was difficult at first. In Venezuela, I trained 150 horses and when I came here I had to start from scratch. No one knows me here and there aren’t many Venezuelan owners here either. I just wake up every day happy to go to the barn. I had to start with a lot of claim horses. However, I respect claiming horses, they teach you a lot. My goal has always been to reach the highest level and compete in big races. I grew up dreaming of competing in races like the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup and now it’s starting to happen for me.
Now I have about 90 horses Monmouth Park and South Florida (Palm Meadows and Gulfstream Training Centers)
And next week New York. We’re sending a message to Saratoga for a meeting. Saratoga has always treated me well every year. I went there and won. This year I will have more horses there.
BH: What do you like about training and racing horses in South Florida?
JD: My father was training horses here and as soon as I arrived, I went to his stable and now we work together. We are a good team. That allowed me to travel to New Jersey and New York because I had him. He is a champion coach in Venezuela, I learned everything from him.
Jose D’Angeo with Team Jesus’ before the 2020 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course
BH: You took Jesus Team from a $25,000 requester to a $1.3 million Tier 1 earner. What can you say when reflecting on your experience with that horse?
JD: That horse put me on the map. So did its owner (Grupo 7C Stabe). I started training horses at Palm Meadows and I remember seeing law train down there. I won races – although mostly won races. I’m competing against myself and you have to be there (at the big races). (Jesus’ Team) did really well with big gallops and I said to my dad ‘We’re going to the Derby with this horse’. So we made a plan. With COVID-19, all Triple Crown race dates are different. We ran in the Haskell and Pegasus at Monmouth and the horse qualified for the Derby. In the end we just went to the Preakness and I think it was the right decision. The horse showed up – he ran third in the Preakness and second in the Pegasus.
