Jeff Siegel, one of racing's most well-respected public handicappers, a racehorse owner, and an Eclipse Award winner, died Oct. 4 after battling kidney cancer. He was 74.
News of Siegel's death was first reported by Team Valor International CEO Barry Irwin, who co-founded Team Valor with Siegel.
"I could write three volumes on Jeff and never run out of stories," Irwin said. "He was the best handicapper ever and rose above his peers because he had that added dimension of horsemanship most of them lacked. On a personal level, Jeff was the nicest guy one was ever likely to meet."
Siegel was a lifelong fan of racing and a horseplayer. After graduating with a journalism degree from San Jose State University, he joined the newsroom at KLAC radio in Los Angeles. There, he worked with Jim Healy, a popular sports radio personality with a love of racing.
Healy pulled some strings without Siegel's knowledge and acquired him a position in Hollywood Park's publicity staff in 1974.
"I never dreamed there would be any place in the industry for me," Siegel said in a 2011 Q&A with the Daily Racing Form. "But things have a way of working out."
Siegel was a mainstay in Southern California racing and became a leading handicapper for several Los Angeles-area newspapers like the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Tribune. He also co-owned the publications Handicapper's Report and National Turf.
Siegel became a longtime contributor to Santa Anita Park's television productions and was an integral part of the team that took home the 1999 Eclipse Award for local television with "The Best of Santa Anita."
In 2003, Siegel joined the television network HRTV. He served as an on-air analyst and traveled to Thoroughbred racing's major events, like the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup World Championships, from the channel's inception until it was sold to TVG in 2015. At that time, Siegel transitioned to XBTV.
He continued to offer his expertise throughout his career on several racing blogs and was named the morning line odds maker at Santa Anita ahead of the 2024 fall meet.
"Jeff was always so focused on his many jobs that he often forgot the mundane aspects of daily life, such as remembering to pay his utility bills until his electricity was turned off," Irwin said.
Asked what makes a good handicapper by the DRF, Siegel said, "Most handicappers know all the axioms, all the theories. The successful ones know when and where to apply them. ... It's like asking, 'What makes a good offensive coordinator?' They all can diagram the plays, but the best ones know what will work on third-and-13 against a zone blitz."
Siegel did not limit his talents to handicapping, but he also applied his knowledge to horse ownership, purchasing his first horse in 1975. In 1988, his homebred, Aloha Prospector, was named 1988 California-bred champion 3-year-old.
In 1987, he and Irwin founded Clover Racing Stable, which would become Team Valor in 1992. He served as Vice President of Racing until 2007, overseeing Team Valor's rise as one of the most successful general partnership stables in North America—winning over 100 stakes and 20 grade 1s.
Siegel told DRF that his most thrilling victory with Clover Racing and Team Valor came when Martial Law won the 1989 Santa Anita Handicap (G1).
"It was so improbable," Siegel said. "We paid a $40,000 supplementary fee to enter a 50-1 shot, and we were actually pretty confident. It wasn't our first grade 1 win, but it certainly added to the credibility that allowed our stable to grow in the coming years. So you might say Martial Law, indirectly, helped make all of our future success possible."
Another accolade for Siegel was when he recommended the claim of Wishing Well for $32,000. She would go on to win the 1980 Gamely Handicap (G2) and Wilshire Handicap (G3). As a broodmare, she produced Hall of Fame member Sunday Silence, the 1989 Horse of the Year who would go on to revolutionize the Japanese breeding industry. Wishing Well now has a stakes named after her at Santa Anita.
The moment came full circle for Siegel in the summer of 1989 when Clover Racing's future Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) winner, Prized, defeated Sunday Silence in the Swaps Stakes (G2).
"Jeff was in his full glory, and deservedly so," Irwin said.
Siegel's love for racing was likely only matched by his devotion to the basketball program at the University of California, Los Angeles.
"He had seats in the nose-bleed rafters at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion, but one season he forgot to renew them," Irwin recalled. "He drove down to the admin offices to see if he could rectify the situation. He was told the only option available to him was to become a booster, which required a minimum contribution of $5,000, an amount that left him about $5,000 short of being able to pay. When told that credit cards were an acceptable form of payment, Jeff whipped out his plastic and made a mental note to figure out how to cover it in due course. Not only did Jeff secure premium seating, but in a short time, he ingratiated himself to the team's hierarchy to such a great extent that he became an unofficial scout and videotape contributor."
