HALLANDALE BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida father and daughter went together to Gulfstream Park this holiday weekend, not to watch the races but as horse trainers who sometimes work together — and other times compete against each other.
David and Natalie Fawkes have made a name for themselves for wins in the modern area of horse racing, not only in the U.S. but across the globe.
“We communicate a lot. We’re always together that way, but she has her own barn, which is a couple down from me, and she does her own thing,” said David.
His daughter said she appreciates all that she’s learned from him.
“He’s a great mentor, and whenever I need him, he’s there for me,” said Natalie. “It helps a lot, especially [with him being] the experienced horseman that he is.”
As a trainer, David has won more than 900 races, including a Breeders’ Cup. His horses have earned more than $33 million.
Natalie, now 20 years old, grew up around horses in Davie, first by riding them, which she still does for horses she trains at Gulfstream Park before a race.
“The mentality with these racehorses are half the thing, so keeping them happy is a big thing,” she said. “It helps that I ride them, because I know how a horse is feeling a certain day more than someone would standing on the ground. I can feel the energy through the horse from sitting on them. I know each horse personally, too.”
Natalie and her father are sort of an oddity at the track, and not because they’re both horse trainers. They might be family, but when they’re not helping each other with the same horse, the feud is on.
Things at the track are different for them when their individual horses are racing against each other.
“When we have two separate horses in there, I want to beat her and she wants to beat me,” said David. “Absolutely. Game on.”
“The competitiveness comes out between us. We both want each other to win. If I don’t win, I want him to, and likewise,” said Natalie.
When asked how he would feel if her horse won, David said, “I’m thrilled, thrilled for her,”
When asked the same question, Natalie replied, “I’m happy, but I’m gonna be a little salty, too.”
David prevailed at Gulfstream Park on Sunday. His horse, Lipstick City, won the $75,000 Stakes Race.
It will get interesting if the father and daughter each have a horse in the Pegasus World Cup in January at Gulfstream. It’s the world’s richest horse race.
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