Horse Trainer

Frank Lyons, who trained Desert Stormer, the five-year-old mare horse which won the 1995 Breeders’ Cup at New York’s Belmont Park last October, has built quite a reputation for himself in the racing world. 

The County Meath-born Lyons, 31, had a somewhat magical first year as a trainer in California. He trains 20 horses for Joanne Nor, after working for two years for her former husband, also a trainer. He learned the trade at a small stable in Kentucky, aided by his background growing up on a farm in Ireland around relatives who owned horses. 

He worked for Irish trainer Dermot Weld and at Ireland’s National Stud before moving to the U.S. “Kentucky was a great education because I did everything myself,” he said. “When you’re forced to get on with a horse and you have a few pieces of (garbage) that you have to patch together, it’s the best way of learning.” Lyons also plays semi-professional soccer with the L.A. Celtics.