Top Northern California trainer Jack Steiner to take extended break

Jack Steiner, who operated one of the most high-percentage stables in California in the last five years, recently left training. He said he plans to take an extended break.

Steiner, 58, relocated from Golden Gate Fields to Santa Anita earlier this year, and had his last runner on May 27 at Santa Anita before dispersing his small stable.

In an interview on Thursday, Steiner said he does not know if he will return.

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“I’m not ruling out a comeback, but not anytime soon,” he said.

“It’s awesome I can do whatever I want to do now. I’m not going to go back to work for a year or two or three or four or five.”

Since the beginning of 2020, Steiner has won 177 races from 719 starters, a 24.8 winning percentage. Nearly all of those wins were at Golden Gate Fields or the Northern California fair circuit.

At the 2022-2023 winter-spring meeting at Golden Gate Fields, Steiner won 32 races from 110 starters, a 29 percent winning average. Steiner’s most recent stakes win was Stoic Luna, in the Golden Gate Turf Distaff last September.

Golden Gate Fields will close permanently on Sunday. Steiner announced in February that he was moving to Santa Anita with a reduced stable. He was winless with nine runners before making the decision to leave training.

“The problem is that it’s seven days a week,” Steiner said of training. “I burned out.”

Steiner said that in recent weeks he has been frequently hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains above Santa Anita.

“I love L.A. and I’ll take a long vacation,” he said. “L.A. has so much to offer. I want to enjoy life.”

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