Daniel J. "Dan" Vella (born November 18, 1955) is a
Canadian Champion Thoroughbred racehorse
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
trainer.
Born in
Toronto,
Ontario, Vella was introduced to
thoroughbred horse racing by an uncle who owned horses. After graduating from high school, Vella went to work at a racetrack in his native Toronto. After an apprenticeship he worked as an assistant trainer with
Patrick Collins and got his first win in 1985. Following the death of Patrick Collins in 1990, Vella took over as head trainer for the prominent
Woodbine-based
Knob Hill Stable
Knob Hill Stable was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding operation established by Toronto, Ontario businessman Steve Stavro. Stavro's interest in horse racing began in 1967 when he acquired a pair of yearlings – Boy Bandit and Da ...
where he remained until joining the racing operations of
Frank Stronach
Frank Stronach (born 6 September 1932) is an Austrian and Canadian businessman and politician.
He is the founder of Magna International, an international automotive parts company based in Aurora, Ontario, Canada, Granite Real Estate, and The ...
in late 1991.
Biography
Training for Stronach Stables, between 1993 and 1998 Vella spent a good part of his time competing in the United States but won important races at Woodbine including Canada's most prestigious race in 1994, the
Queen's Plate. That year, he was voted the Canadian
Sovereign Award for Outstanding Trainer and repeated as Champion trainer in 1995. After parting ways with Stonach Stables he remained working in the United States then returned to a Toronto base in 2003.
References
Daniel J. Vella at the NTRADaniel J. Vella at Woodbine Entertainment
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vella, Daniel
1955 births
Living people
Canadian horse trainers
Sovereign Award winners
Sportspeople from Toronto