Charlie LoPresti, the esteemed trainer celebrated for guiding the incredible career of two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan, has officially retired from horse racing at the age of 63. While he has stepped away from active training, LoPresti remains deeply involved in the equestrian world, continuing his passion for breaking and training young horses at his farm. His decision to retire, though quiet, marks the end of a significant chapter in his nearly three-decade-long career.
LoPresti, originally from New York, began his training journey in 1993. He officially disbanded his stable at the conclusion of the 2020 racing season. “I haven’t been racing horses for six or seven months now, and I didn’t want to make a production about it. I wanted it to be quiet,” LoPresti shared, emphasizing his desire for a low-key transition. He reflected on the exceptional horses he’s had the privilege to train, stating, “I had some really, really good horses and those horses were great horses. I give the horses more credit than me.”
His final race as a trainer took place in October at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino. LoPresti’s last victory occurred about six months prior, in May, at Churchill Downs. The winning horse was Lessons From Avery, who secured a 1 1/8-mile allowance optional claiming race on the turf. Following his retirement, LoPresti’s remaining horses have been entrusted to his nephew, Reeve McGaughey, son of Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey, who launched his own stable in 2020.
Throughout his career, LoPresti achieved 310 wins from 2,205 starts, accumulating $20,043,754 in prize money. A significant portion of these successes, 23 wins and nearly half of the earnings, came from the legendary Wise Dan. This remarkable gelding, by Wiseman’s Ferry, captivated audiences across the East Coast and Canada from 2010 to 2014.
Bred and raced by the late Morton Fink, Wise Dan achieved his first Grade 1 victory at age four on dirt in the Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs. His transition to turf racing during his five-year-old season proved transformative. Wise Dan swiftly distinguished himself by capturing back-to-back Grade 1 victories in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile and the Breeders’ Cup Mile in both 2012 and 2013. He continued his winning streak in the subsequent two seasons, securing consecutive wins in the Maker’s 46 Mile (G1T) and the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1T) in 2013 and 2014. Additionally, he triumphed in the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1T) in 2012 and 2014, though not consecutively. Wise Dan concluded his racing career with an impressive record of 23 wins, 2 seconds, and 0 thirds from 31 starts, earning $7,552,920. Now 14 years old, the celebrated gelding resides at LoPresti’s Forest Lane Farm in Athens, Kentucky. He shares his retirement home with his half-brother, the Grade 2 winner Successful Dan, also trained by LoPresti.
Wise Dan’s dominance in 2012 and 2013 earned him the titles of champion grass horse and champion older horse, coinciding with his two Horse of the Year accolades. His exceptional contributions to the sport were further recognized with his induction into the Hall of Fame in 2020.
Wise Dan shares a lighthearted moment with Charlie LoPresti at Saratoga Race Course in 2013. Photo credit: Skip Dickstein
Despite stepping away from training, LoPresti has no plans to leave the racing community. He and his wife, Amy, remain actively engaged in breaking and training young horses on their farm for long-standing clients. “I’m still very much involved in the business. We have our farm, and I still break yearlings for a lot of people,” LoPresti explained. He finds fulfillment in observing the progress of horses he previously started, “This morning I went to Keeneland and watched my nephew train some of the old ones that I had and the new ones he has. Some of the 2-year-olds that I broke for people were out training, so I was able to talk to people about them, and I get a lot of pleasure from that.”
LoPresti expressed a desire for a more relaxed lifestyle. “I’m not a great big operation but we break yearlings for clients we’ve had a long time. But there are other things I want to do. I want to spend more time with my bird dogs, and I have a registered herd of Angus cattle and I have some Quarter Horses that I like to rope on. I’m 63 years old and will I ever find another Wise Dan? Probably not. I was lucky to have a horse like that. I’ve been very fortunate in the business. But the racetrack takes up a lot of your time, and I have other things I want to do. That is really what made me make the decision.”
The most rewarding aspect of LoPresti’s nearly 30 years in racing has been his connection with the horses and the enduring relationships forged within the industry, from the backstretch to the winner’s circle. “It’s not only Wise Dan. I could talk about a lot of horses we broke on our farm that went on to be Kentucky Derby (G1) winners,” he shared. He finds deep satisfaction in seeing horses enjoy a good retirement, emphasizing, “It’s just neat to be able to slow down a little now. It’s good for people to see that horses like him mean something, and that they have a good life and a good retirement. It’s not just about the money; it’s about what horses like him did for their owners and for me. I’ve met so many people through these horses… I could go on and on about the people in this business that I became friends with. The horses are the ones that did it for us.”
LoPresti views racing and horses as extraordinary elements of life. “Racing is a wonderful thing and horses are a wonderful thing. I’m not walking away from this; it’s just time to say that that chapter of my life is over and I’m ready to start a new chapter—but I’m not closing the book on it either.” He continues to feel a sense of pride in the horses he helps start, stating, “When a horse we break here at the farm and give early training to goes on to win a big stakes race, I feel like I’m part of that, too. I’m a little bit slower than I used to be, but I’m still alive and kicking.”
