Benjamin Leon, Jr. is a Cuban-
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
businessman and horse enthusiast.
Career
Leon was born in
Oriente,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
in 1944.
Leon
migrated to
Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
in 1961.
[ Leon and his father also founded Clínica Asociación Cubana (CAC), one of the first ]health maintenance organization
In the United States, a health maintenance organization (HMO) is a medical insurance group that provides health services for a fixed annual fee. It is an organization that provides or arranges managed care for health insurance, self-funded heal ...
s in the United States.[ In 1994, Leon sold CAC to ]UnitedHealthCare
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated is an American multinational managed healthcare and insurance company based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. It offers health care products and insurance services. UnitedHealth Group is the world's seventh largest c ...
for $500 million.[ In 1996, Leon founded Leon Medical Centers, which provides healthcare to Medicare patients.]
Besilu Stables
In the 1980s, Leon established Besilu Stables, and began to show and breed Paso Fino
The Paso Fino is a naturally gaited light horse breed dating back to horses imported to the Caribbean from Spain. Pasos are prized for their smooth, natural, four-beat, lateral ambling gait; they are used in many disciplines, but are especially ...
horses.[ In 2008, Leon bought his first ]Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...
, and soon after started racing horses.[ In 2011, Leon bought ]Royal Delta
Royal Delta (February 2, 2008 – February 10, 2017) was a Champion American Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorse. The daughter of Empire Maker was best known for winning back-to-back editions of the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic (later renamed th ...
for $8.5 million. She would win the Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse.
An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...
for American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971.
The award originated in 1936 when both ...
in 2011 and again in 2012 and 2013 as the American Champion Older Dirt Female Horse.
Political activity and philanthropy
In 2015, Leon donated $2.5 million to the presidential campaign of Marco Rubio.Florida International University
Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest university in Florid ...
Family Center for Geriatrics Research and Education.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leon, Benjamin
Living people
1944 births
Businesspeople from Miami
Cuban emigrants to the United States
Florida Republicans