ABOUT ME

Originally from Santurce, Puerto Rico, Raúl Perez became a successful thoroughbred trainer after sacrificing a successful accounting career. While he was trying to become an engineer at the University of Mayagüez RUM , his passion for horse racing was so remarkable that he would take a plane from Mayagüez to San Juan and board a cab to arrive on time at the El Comandante Race Track in Carolina before the first valid race for the pool.

A few years later, he graduated from college as an accountant, becoming the first student at Sagrado Corazon University to be hired by Arthur Andersen. In the following year, he resigned and enrolled in the trainer's course at the Escuela Vocacional Hipica.

In his career as a trainer, he has trained horses such as Shed a Tear, Triano, Divac, Seattle Win, Cure all Slew, Sr. Event, Road for Ever and Tonadilla. His best year was 1990, when he achieved 149 victories. It was the same year that he became one of two Puerto Rican trainers to win classic races in the United States with Justino Rodriguez. As a result of Moment of True's victory in the 90’ Davie Stakes.

With more than 1568 victories, Raúl "RAULI" Pérez leads the Puerto Rican horseracing rankings with 30 classic wins. In 2002, he received the prestigious Maestro Lopez Award, which is given to the trainer who best represents dedication, professionalism and rectitude. His many achievements and virtues make him a deserving member of the Sports Hall of Fame of Santurce in 2016.

Having partially retired after 33 years of uninterrupted career, Rauli Perez moved to Florida to work as Kenny McPeek's Assistant Trainer for 2 seasons at Gulfstream Park and Churchill Downs.

As a result of his years of experience and knowledge, Rauli Pérez now specializes in finding and selecting thoroughbreds.