by Charlene Sharpe, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Charlene Sharpe

Laurel, DE — At 79, Paul Gsell admits he’s no longer up to riding the high-strung Thoroughbreds that once helped him earn a living.

That doesn’t mean he’s given up equines entirely. These days, Gsell, who lives in Crumpton, Md., spends his time working with Standardbreds. On Nov. 11, he earned his first win as a trainer with 8-year-old pacing mare Allabout Town at Rosecroft Raceway.

“It was a great feeling,” Gsell said. “I wanted to prove it to myself and everybody else that I could do it.”

Gsell bought his first Standardbred in 2010. After spending several years as a hands-on owner, he decided to get his trainer’s license this summer.

Gsell said he spent most of his life working with Thoroughbreds — riding jumpers and then working with stallions at places like Windfields Farm — and wanted to stay busy now that he’s retired.

“If I sit around now I’ll never keep going,” he said.

So Gsell, with the help of his wife Carolyn, currently trains three Standardbreds he races at Rosecroft Raceway. While a trip to a harness track years ago first sparked his interest in the sport, now that he’s truly involved he’s come to appreciate the Standardbreds themselves.

“There’s a lot more to them as far as harness but they’re so much easier to work with than Thoroughbreds,” he said. “Standardbreds have a great disposition. They’re good for an old person to deal with.”

Allabout Town is a particular favorite.

“She’s an angel,” Gsell said. “She eats biscuits and plays with you. She’s a pet.”

He says he had no idea she’d win when she went behind the starting gate Nov. 11. While the Allie’s Western mare generally earns checks, she hadn’t won a race since May.

When the gate folded she landed eighth and sat there through fractions of :27 and :56.2. Driver Justin Vincent eventually pulled the right line and the mare was three-wide at the three-quarter pole. That’s when Gsell started to get excited.

“She came through the stretch and ran right by ‘em,” he said.

Allabout Town won by a half-length in 1:58.

“Hopefully Paul and Allabout Town win many more races,” Vincent said.

He said he enjoys driving for the Gsells.

“Paul and his wife are great people,” he said. “They’re always happy with the way Allabout Town races even if she doesn’t get a check. She isn’t the biggest or fastest mare but every time she steps on the track she gives it all she has.”