Growing up in Richmond in the 1940s and ‘50s was a different experience than it is today. Instead of all-Asian malls, dim sum restaurants and urban sprawl, Richmond was mostly farmland. It was the perfect place for Alan May to build a foundation that would lead him to become one of the top trainers in British Columbia. Alan, who was born in 1940, grew up on No. 3 Road just about a driver-and-wedge away from Lansdowne Park. He had few boundaries and freely rode his saddle horse around the still undeveloped delta lands. He was a good friend of Billy Skuse, who later became a Hall of Fame jockey (Skuse died in a car accident in 1980). Alan and Billy spent a lot of time together on horseback. “Billy and I would ride our horses to horse shows and to the track,” says May. “We learned a lot by riding them and also by taking care of them.” Alan’s parents were good friends of trainer Benny Fisher. At the ripe old age of 12, Alan began exercising horses for Benny at Lansdowne. Alan also galloped horses for Jackie Russell. “I learned a lot from two great horsemen,” he recalled. “People don’t realize how much Ben really knew about horses. I consider Jackie the most thorough horseman I’ve ever known. Actually, we’ve had a lot of good horsemen around here and I tried to learn from all of them. Tony Pankhurst taught me a lot about not getting too excited about anything.” Alan took out his trainer’s licence at 18, and he won with the only horse in his stable, Chief Remhi. Mostly though, he was an exercise rider and later an outrider for six years. It wasn’t until the late 1960s that he became a full-time trainer. In 1970 his career took a significant upward turn when he connected with Les and Mary Gilmore.

“They had some really nice horses,” says May. “Aviemore was one of my all-time favourites. She was a real ‘trier.’ She won the 1971 Futurity, as well as a bunch of other races. Training for them was a big break for me.”

Also at that time, trainer Sid Martin relocated to Southern California and Alan picked up one of Martin’s main clients, Duane Onstad. According to Alan, a lot of winners came with the Onstad stable.

The rest, you could say, is history.

Beginning in 1971, Alan was the leading trainer at Exhibition Park for four out of the next five years, excluding 1973, when he finished fourth.

In 1979 he trained the first of three Vanderbilt Trophy winners, Palica, who was owned by Bob Stirskey.

The next year Alan had another Horse of the Year, Police Inspector. He had been purchased by Imperial Stables following his 2-year-old campaign and was moved to Alan’s barn. In Police Inspector’s first four starts as a 3-year-old, he reeled off four straight stakes wins.

Avant’s Gold, who was owned by Cedar Grove Thoroughbreds, is the most accomplished horse Alan trained. In 1991 she won the Sovereign Award as the best filly or mare in Canada. Avant’s Gold stamped her award-winning season with a powerful 7-length win in the Ballerina over the great Delta Colleen.

“I was very fortunate to have owners like Fred Bucci of Cedar Grove and George Culley of Imperial Stables. I really think Barkerville Belle had the most talent of any horse I trained, though.”

A Kentucky-bred filly by Ruthie’s Native, Barkerville Belle romped to three easy wins at Exhibition Park as a 3-year-old in 1983. She then shipped to Woodbine, where she finished second in the Selene Stakes.
Alan ranks the training job he did with Barkerville Belle and with Australasian as his proudest accomplishments as a trainer.

“Barkerville Belle had all that talent, but she was a bit of a nut case. We had to be very patient with her. Australasian was still a maiden when he won the Ascot Sophomore at a mile and three eighths. He also won the Alberta Derby.”

Australasian was owned by Bob Williams, who also owned Detrimental. Detrimental moved up from being a low-level claimer to one of the top handicap horses at Exhibition Park shortly after Alan took over his training. In 1976 Detrimental was voted the champion older horse in B.C.

In the early 1990s Alan became the private trainer for Cedar Grove and shifted his base of operation to Southern California.

“It helped that Fred wasn’t afraid to claim a horse for a serious price,” says May.

On behalf of Cedar Grove, Alan claimed Rocket Gibralter for $100,000 in 1991. Rocket Gibralter went on to win eight races for his new connections, including the 1993 Province Handicap at Exhibition Park.

Alan has also had a big influence in the development of other trainers, and of jockeys.

Prominent trainers that worked for him include Dennis Terry, Joe Walls, Shauna Ferguson and Rick Kamps.

Jockeys Jim Arnold and Chris Loseth got their starts in Alan’s barn.

“I owe a lot of my success to Alan,” says Loseth, who is the all-time leading rider in B.C. “He taught me everything about racing, and I can’t say enough good things about him.”

Alan downplays his role in both jockeys’ development.

“I would just go out there and gallop along side of them,” recalls Alan. “I think it really helped having Dennis Terry [who had been a jockey] working for me at the time. But Chris’s success is also due to the fact that he was the hardest working person I’ve ever known.”

At 67, Alan trains a couple of his own horses, racing in California during the winter and at Hastings in the summer.