birth_place awards race birth_date horses article_title name occupation
toronto , ontario , canada sovereign -rrb- award for outstanding trainer -lrb- 1994 , 1995 sir 1990 debutante stakes -lrb- 1994 , 2005 -rrb- kennedy road stakes -rrb- -lrb- 1995 , 1996 , 1997 -rrb- plate trial stakes nearctic -lrb- 1995 , 1996 -rrb- royal north stakes -lrb- 1995 stakes -rrb- seaway stakes -lrb- 1995 -rrb- summer stakes -lrb- 1995 -lrb- -rrb- toronto cup stakes -lrb- 1995 -rrb- canadian stakes -lrb- 1990 1996 -rrb- princess elizabeth stakes -lrb- 1996 -rrb- ontario matron , stakes -lrb- 1996 , 2003 -rrb- longfellow stakes -lrb- 1997 1994 -rrb- mazarine stakes -lrb- 2005 -rrb- star shoot stakes -lrb- , 2008 -rrb- play the king stakes -lrb- 2012 -rrb- 1995 barton -rrb- cup and saucer stakes -lrb- 1992 -rrb- autumn stakes stakes -lrb- 1993 , 1995 , 2004 -rrb- hollywood derby -lrb- -lrb- 1993 -rrb- american derby -lrb- 1993 -rrb- eclipse stakes -lrb- 1985 1993 , 1995 , 2003 , 2004 -rrb- e. p. -rrb- taylor stakes -lrb- 1993 -rrb- grey stakes -lrb- 1993 , hendrie 1996 , 1997 -rrb- natalma stakes -lrb- 1993 , 1994 stakes -rrb- wonder where stakes -lrb- 1993 , 1994 , 2006 -lrb- -rrb- col. r. s. mclaughlin handicap -lrb- 1994 -rrb- ontario november 18 , 1955 basqueian , explosive red , touch gold daniel vella
 daniel j. vella trainer
daniel vella

daniel j. `` dan '' vella -lrb- born november 18 , 1955 in toronto , ontario -rrb- is a canadian champion thoroughbred racehorse trainer .
dan vella was introduced to thoroughbred horse racing by an uncle who owned horses and , after graduating from high school , went to work at a racetrack in his native toronto .
after an apprenticehip 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 where he remained until joining the racing operations of frank stronach in late 1991 .
