Al Libfeld is one of the most prominent breeders and owners in harness racing. Despite that fact, he’s been out of the spotlight since the pandemic hit. All that has changed over the last few months as the dissolving of his longtime partnership with Marvin Katz has seen Libfeld make his presence known in Lexington, at the Breeders Crown and in Harrisburg. On the heels of a large disbursement of the Libfeld/Katz assets at Harrisburg, Libfeld sat down with me to discuss his path in the sport, the breakup with Katz, and much more. Enjoy!   How did you get started in harness racing? I’ve always been a gambler. I started going to the track in high school at Maywood Park outside of Chicago where I grew up. I followed the horses to Sportsmans, Hawthorne and Balmoral a bit. Then I went away to university for four years and eventually moved to Toronto where I started a couple of businesses. When I was starting in my second business – development and home building – I become friends with Marvin Katz. He introduced me to the ownership aspect of it and I bought a pacing filly called Keystone Hera. We bought her for $100,000, made a $100,000 and sold her to Hanover for $100,000. That was probably about 35 years ago. At what point did Al Libfeld become a major owner in harness racing? We always wanted quality horses but when I got into breeding about 25 years ago that really started everything. So you feel the breeding is what has gotten you into the limelight and consideration for the Hall of Fame, etc.? I don’t know about consideration to the Hall of Fame, though I was considered in Canada. The breeding is my favorite part of the business. I’ve sat behind a horse before but I probably didn’t add anything to her or his value by doing it. The selection of the breedings, the matings and whether to sell or keep the fillies, those were primarily my decisions. It is exciting. I can never own the Toronto Maple Leafs but I can own the best harness horse in the world and at times I think I might have. You mentioned being behind a horse. Did you ever drive in a race? I just jogged. We started out with Dr. Hayes in Toronto and would go out and jog horses in Toronto several times a year. It was fun. How did wins like Dream Away in the 1997 Meadowlands Pace change things? I don’t think it changed much. I was actually in Italy sleeping when the race went off and I got woken up by someone. I ran the beach pretty fast after that because I couldn’t go back to sleep. I was in Venice. The win was just another movement forward towards success. Your name is synonymous with Marvin Katz as owners of Libfeld/Katz Breeding. Why did both of you decide to disband your award-winning operation this year after such a long history together? We just had different views and different ways of going about things. I wish him only the best. We’ve made concessions for each other over the years and hopefully I won’t have to do that going forward and he won’t either. Is it kind of like a marriage where sometimes you just grow apart? I’m not sure it was ever a marriage but it was quite successful for a long period of time. Marvin had been the “face” of the operation for years but since the breakup you’ve made more public appearances. Do you enjoy being in the spotlight? It doesn’t bother me. I know he thoroughly enjoyed it, so go for it. I just wanted to remind people that I’m here and a significant part of the Libfeld/Katz breeding partnership. Now I’m on my own and hopefully I’ll have equal if not better success. How many mares did you and Marvin have before the decision and how many do you expect to breed in 2024? The partnership is still unwinding. I’ll probably have 25-27 on my own and there is still a dozen with Marvin above the ones we are selling in Harrisburg. What is your favorite track to visit? Why? The Red Mile. It is just beautiful with the fresh air. The track is good for the horses and they can go barefoot. It also has a ton of history. What is your favorite big event in racing? Why? Probably the Hambletonian. I’ve won it twice but not with significant shares of the horse. I had two percent of Deweycheatumnhowe and not a majority of Muscle Massive. It is still a goal of mine [to own a majority share of a Hambletonian winner] and hopefully I’ll be able to do it in the next little while. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter What is your favorite thing to do outside of harness racing? I like sports. I’m actually in Philadelphia as we speak and I saw the Sixers vs. the Raptors last night. I go to hockey games with my son and grandson. I spend time up at my cottage in Simcoe north of Toronto and in Florida. I keep myself busy and I’m still extremely active in my business Tribune Communities. My son is CEO now and he allows me to do my thing, which is planning, acquisitions and marketing. We create great communities and buildings in the greater Toronto area. What is one word that describes harness racing for you? Fun. My late wife used to say that if I’m walking around with the phone on my ear and a big smile on my face it is because I’m talking about harness racing. What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten or given about harness racing? Make sure you are dealing with good people. While for the most part people in this business are way above board, there have been some bad actors and you don’t want to get involved with them. You should always ask around before you jump in deeper or switch your trainers or advisors. For people like myself [horses] is not my livelihood, but you want it to be fun and remain fun. What was your best moment in harness racing? Chasing Tail Winning the [2001] Kentucky Futurity by open lengths. He was a son of Victorious Tail that I bought and we bred. Which is the best horse you’ve ever owned? It might be Special Way. She is not at the top of her game at this moment as evidenced in the Breeders Crown, but what she did last year and the early part of this year before she got hurt impressed me significantly. Saying Special Way is saying a lot for her considering you’ve owned a lot of great horses, no? I guess I’ve been lucky, dogged and persistent. I open up the check book at times to accomplish owning these spectacular athletes. You are a breeder that also owns racehorses. Do you see that as a conflict of interest? Not really. Primarily I don’t keep the colts, only the filliesso I can breed back to them. I buy colts. I’ve sold some great horses over the year and will continue to sell them. Having that many broodmares you can’t choose the right ones all the time. I follow the old methodology of keeping some of the fillies and selling all the colts. I did keep one colt but it was a funny year with the breakup with Marvin. It is a Walner colt that I kind of liked and I figured people wouldn’t punish me for keeping one this year or next year. I didn’t buy anything out of the [Lexington] sale that was owned by Marvin or myself. You and Marvin are selling 25 horses at Harrisburg as part of the dispersal including some very well-bred mares. Do you see buying some of them back? I will be there and make that determination then. Do you fancy yourself an active buyer at Harrisburg to restock the Libfeld Breeding operation? Very much so. Yearling-wise I’m primarily looking at colts and then finding the fillies at Harrisburg that I might be attacking. You are a homebuilder by trade. Is there anything you learned from that industry that applies to harness racing? We have a large company that started from scratch. We bought some lots from a developer originally, some homes, expanded into land development, then into hi-rise buildings – we are one of the largest builders of hi-rise building in Toronto. Everything you do, you have to walk before you run. You need to understand the pitfalls and landscape before you move on. We did that to some degree with harness racing. Originally Bart Glass was a consultant and then we moved on to Perry Soderberg. You can’t know everything yourself and you need to surround yourself with good people so you can make good decisions. How do you view the future of harness racing? I think strong. The sale in Lexington was off the charts. With the European influence trotting is going to be a strong focus; it is my entire focus right now. I don’t have a pacer at all at this point between yearlings and weanlings. Time for the stretch drive... Best Horse you ever saw: Probably Muscle Hill. He was spectacular in so many ways. Lasix – Yes or No: It probably should be allowed but I’m not an expert to voice a public opinion. Best Driver Ever: John Campbell, hands down. Best Trainer Ever: Probably Jimmy Takter. Favorite TV Show: The Walking Dead.