Richard Rosales balances training horses and teaching fourth graders

A typical day for Southern California trainer Richard Rosales has two beginnings.

In the 3 o’clock hour – that’s a.m. – Rosales and his wife, Elena, head to Los Alamitos to care for their small stable. By 8 a.m., Rosales is back home. Class is nearly in session.

For the next six hours, Rosales teaches 26 fourth-graders in the Los Angeles Unified School District. For nearly a year, the class has assembled via the internet because of the pandemic. Normally, Rosales would be in a classroom in Gardena, Calif.

With a holiday last Monday, Rosales devoted his afternoon to racing and watched Tromador win a $12,500 claiming race at Santa Anita, the 5-year-old’s first win since he was claimed for that price last June.

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Rosales, 59, trains four horses, a stable that will grow to six in coming days, he said. With such a small barn, the Rosales operation is truly a mom and pop outfit.

“We have a two-person team, my wife and I,” he said. “We don’t have anyone working for us.”

After Rosales leaves for his virtual classroom, Elena stays at Los Alamitos to finish the morning work.

Last year, Rosales had two wins from 27 runners. Tromador was the stable’s second runner of the current Santa Anita meeting, and first win. Eswan Flores rode Tromador, who won by a neck at 16-1.

“It was nice to get a good ride from Eswan,” Rosales said.

Rosales has juggled teaching and training for years. The current structure is likely to continue, though Rosales says it is far from ideal for students or their teacher.

“There is a lack of social interaction, music, and extracurricular activity,” Rosales said. “Hopefully, the vaccine will kick in and we can get back to normal.”