‘Super excellent' meet for trainer Marquez

DEL MAR, Calif. – Ask Alfredo Marquez how he’s doing and you’ll always get the same response from the sunny, upbeat trainer: “Super excellent. And getting better.”

That’s certainly true this summer at Del Mar. Marquez, 70, by choice limits his barn to just seven horses, but they have produced, with four wins from a mere eight starters.

“Dream of a lifetime,” he said of his Del Mar strike rate. “It’s unreal. Still can’t believe it.”

Marquez, from a racing family, was born right across the street from the old Caliente racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico. His brother, Saul, is a former trainer who now runs the colors room at Del Mar, and a nephew, Saul’s son Saul Jr., is a jockey agent. Marquez himself used to train dozens of horses, but enjoys the setup he has now.

“I’ve done that before,” he said of having a large stable. “I’m not a young man anymore. I had 50 at Caliente, 20 here, 20 up north. I like to have a life.”

His primary client is Robert Cannon, who owns – either alone or in partnership – six of the seven runners in Marquez’s care.

“I have the same clients, the same people working for me,” Marquez said. “This is therapy for me.”