Bruce Headley is a Thoroughbred

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...

 horse trainer

Horse trainer

In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...

 and owner.

Involved with horse racing

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

 since his teens, Headley worked as an exercise rider from 1949 until taking out his trainers license in 1959. Based in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, he first gained national attention with Bertrando

Bertrando

Bertrando is an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. A tall colt, who would grow to 16 hands 2 inches, Bertrando was bred by Ed Nahem, at River Edge Farm in Buellton, California...

 who won the 1991 Norfolk Stakes

Norfolk Stakes

Norfolk Stakes may refer to:*Norfolk Stakes , a horse race held at Ascot Racecourse.*Norfolk Stakes , a horse race held at Santa Anita Park.*Norfolk Stakes, the original title of the Flying Childers Stakes....

 by a record nine lengths and went on to a second-place finish behind a brilliant performance by Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an star, Arazi. Headley's greatest success to date came with the Champion

Eclipse Award

The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...

 sprint

Sprint (race)

Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...

 horse Kona Gold

Kona Gold

Kona Gold was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.Kona Gold was foaled at Carlos Perez's Twilite Farm outside LaGrange, Kentucky. He was sold as a yearling for $35,000 at the 1995 Keeneland September yearling sale to trainer Bruce Headley on behalf of a partnership that included Headley,...

, a winner of multiple stakes races including the 2000 Breeders' Cup Sprint

Breeders' Cup Sprint

The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds & up. Run on dirt over a distance of 6 Furlongs , the race has been held annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World...

. In addition to being the horse's trainer, Headley is also a one-third partner.

In 2003, Bruce Headley trained Got Koko

Got Koko

Got Koko is a retired American Thoroughbred filly racehorse who is one of only three horses bred in the State of Texas to ever win a Grade 1 stakes. She was bred by Eileen H...

, owned by his wife Aase in partnership with Paul Leung. The filly

Filly

A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....

 became just the third-ever winner of the La Cañada Series at Santa Anita Park

Santa Anita Park

Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...

 since its inception in 1975. The three-race series consists of the La Brea

La Brea Stakes

The La Brea Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually since 1974 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to three-year-old fillies, it was raced over a distance of seven furlongs on dirt until the track's new synthetic Cushion Track surface was installed in time for the...

, El Encino

El Encino Stakes

The El Encino Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to four-year-old fillies, it is raced over a distance of 1/16 miles on the synthetic Cushion Track surface...

 and La Cañada Stakes

La Canada Stakes

The La Cañada Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the second week of February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...

for newly turning/turned 4-year old fillies run at an increasing distance.