Photo by Shawn LaChapelle

If there’s one thing I learned during Belmont week in Saratoga, it’s that all roads lead back to Laura Simiele. If there’s a horse racing–related event going on in town, she’s there, or, more likely, she’s running it. The first week of June, you may have caught her sitting at a table with the connections of 2024 Belmont winner Dornoch at the National Museum of Racing’s Belmont Gala, working the crowd at the Belmont Stakes draw party at Universal Preservation Hall, or organizing the second annual Embrace the Belmont handicapping seminar to benefit Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga.

A lifelong Saratogian, Laura inherited her love of horse racing from her grandfather, who never thought he would own a racehorse. “I was fortunate enough to watch my mom buy him his first horse,” she says. “I planned my first foal at 11, and delivered him at 13. Today, my mom and I still breed and race, both managing our syndicate and participating in others across the country.”

In addition to working at Etalon Equine Genetics and operating Stars Aligned Stable, Laura hosts The Morning Show, a live, interactive experience during Breakfast at Saratoga that gives attendees the opportunity to take a peek behind the Saratoga horse racing curtain. Her ultimate goal: to elevate the sport and advance the industry.

I first met Laura in 2017, when she worked as the general manager of a photography company, and have watched her grow professionally through different roles until she went all in on the industry she was born to be in. On paper, I’d classify us as acquaintances. But every time I run into her, she treats me like a friend.

You worked in a few different fields before landing in the racing industry. What have you learned?

Communication and transparency are essential, never be afraid to ask questions, and think outside the box.

What’s Saratoga Race Course’s best-kept secret?

The rooftop! For anyone seeking a breathtaking view, consider the Third Race Call offering from the Backstretch Employee Service Team of NY. Their package is a great experience.

Do you have any life philosophies?

Sprezzatura! It’s an Italian life philosophy of effortless style that encourages you to be unapologetically yourself. As writer Willa Cather once said: “It takes a great deal of experience to become natural.”