Matt Chew is bidding goodbye to more than four decades as a trainer. He last ran a horse in Southern California Sept. 5 at Del Mar when Meal Ticket ran eighth in the John C. Mabee Stakes (G2T) and in Northern California Sept. 18 when Lemon Drop Tini was second in a maiden race at Golden Gate Fields.
A third-generation horseman, he grew up in the shadow of Santa Anita Park, where his father, Richard, earned his spurs. Grandfather William trained primarily in New York.
Chew took out his trainer's license in 1982 on his 18th birthday and trained primarily in the Bay Area early in his career. He ultimately won 400 races and his horses made over $9.4 million in purses.
Now Matt, 60, hopes the future has something perhaps even more fulfilling than conditioning a Thoroughbred to win a race: helping those with special needs through programs he plans to develop.
One of countless everyday trainers who are the backbone of racing, not with abundant stakes winners but with mid-level campaigners, Chew never waivered in his philosophy: do what's right by the horse.
Matt and his wife of 35 years, Candace Coder-Chew, purchased a home on 18 acres in Idaho north of Coeur d'Alene, about seven years ago. It has been a work in progress, and after the completion of the barn and indoor ring this fall, they will relocate their five off-the-track Thoroughbreds and three Weimaraners to the new location overlooking Hayden Lake.
Matt's game plan is to have a safe haven for those with special needs who can benefit from the emotionally therapeutic environment the horses provide those with whom they're in contact. Additionally, there will be room for a few more retired racehorses to thrive.
One local episode graphically reveals such a healing process.
Matt tells the tale: "Pete Siberell (director of special services and community projects) arranged for a group from Pasadena called Ability First that aided the developmentally disabled to come visit Santa Anita.
"Candy and I brought the park's mascot, Fred (one of the equine stand-ins for the movie 'Seabiscuit') to the paddock one morning and we saw this young boy, maybe 11 or 12, looking at him real hard. I went over and handed him the shank. He took it and started walking with the horse, talking to him, telling him how pretty he was, and what a great horse he was; he was having a conversation with him.
"Candy meanwhile looks over and sees three adults in the middle of the walking ring and their jaws are dropped; they look almost horrified. She realizes they are with the boy and begins to apologize.
"'I'm sorry,' she says. 'My husband does these kinds of things. We really should have asked permission before he gave him the horse.'
"One of the women—it turned out to be the boy's mother—was sobbing. She finally told Candy that Austin (her son) doesn't talk. He was technically what they call non-verbal autistic.
"He had been through a traumatic incident several years back and since had not said a word—until that day.
"So winning races is great, of course, but witnessing something like this is beyond special."
Candy is Santa Anita's director of print and graphics. Part of the Santa Anita team for going on three decades, her most popular creation is the track's wall calendar, a traditional staple given to fans every Dec. 26. The good news is, while Matt is retiring, Candy is not.
"I will be working for Santa Anita as long as they will have me," she says, "partially from Idaho, but at Santa Anita as much as I need to be."
Candy also is president of the board of directors for the California Retirement Management Account, a program that has facilitated the successful efforts of the state to retrain and retire thousands of racehorses in new homes.
"I'm going to continue working at Santa Anita, but Matt will spearhead the operation in Idaho," she said. "He is excited about it. We have been planning this for a while, but it got moved up when it seemed the right time was sooner rather than later.
"Matt has a lot more experience with special needs kids than I do. He volunteered for a group in the Bay Area that had a riding program (Hippotherapy) for kids with cerebral palsy and that was a game-changer.
"It gave him a new perspective and led us to eventually having a means of 'giving back.' Our plan is to have retired Thoroughbreds, with a program for PTSD-stricken vets to start, then explore what the community needs for other groups seeking equine-assisted therapy. It will require a lot of research and development, but it seems like the right thing to do."
