By Dick Jerardi
There is no racing where he lives and works 20 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. So Gabrielle Hakim, who learned to love horse racing in his native Venezuela, has slowly built a powerful stable at Parx with trainer Mario Dominquez.
“We do everything together,’’ Hakim said of his trainer. “He does everything inside the barn…I find the right horses to claim, put them in the right spots.’’
As we hit the final days of 2020, The Hakim’s Stable LLC has the most starts (138), third most wins (22) and fourth best earnings ($449,709) at Parx in 2020.
The Hakim horse racing business began in 2015. The owner got together with Dominguez in 2018. They had six horses then, 21 now
“My dad owned horses in Venezuela,’’ Hakim said. In fact, he has some pictures from 1980 when he was at the track with his father.
His friend, Parx jockey Angel Castillo, told him about the racing at Parx.
Hakim owns a residential remodeling company, a business he began in 2006. It was almost a decade later when he started claiming horses and has slowly built up his stable.
Back in 2016, Hakim claimed Broadway Bay for $10,000 at Parx. The horse won five races in seven starts over a four-month period before he was claimed for $8,000. The horse won nearly $150,000 for Hakim. The New York bred was still winning races last year in a career that included 17 wins in 59 starts. But nobody had a run with him like Hakim.
In 2020, the stable has had a similar run with Petulant Delight. He was claimed for $7,500 in November 2019.
“He’s a great horse, has a big heart,’’ Hakim said.
In his seven starts this year, the 5-year-old has three wins, a second and two thirds for earnings of $48,890. Hakim actually had the horse for one race in 2019. After he claimed the horse for $12,500, Petulant Delight won right back by 6 lengths for $16,000. But he was claimed again.
When the horse was in for $7,500 nearly four months later, Hakim put in a claim slip, but there was more than one claim and he was outshook. When the horse was back in for the $7,500 three weeks later, Hakim again dropped a claiming slip. He was alone this time and got the horse back.
“I love this horse,’’ Hakim said “When I claimed him the second time, he come with a big issue.’’
The horse had a little fracture. So, the owner gave him time to recover.
“I wait for him for seven months,’’ he said.
On July 14, Petulant Delight was back in for $7,500, There were no takers. The horse won by 7 lengths. He has not been in for a claiming tag since.
Fran’s Worrier was another great claim. After the stable claimed the horse for $7,500 in November 2019, the horse won five of nine starts this year before being claimed for $8,000 a year and a day after they got him.
Hakim comes to Parx every other week to watch his horses run.
“My plan next year is to get us some babies,’’ Hakim said., “I want to go step by step.’’
So far, so good.
