Ben Gleeson

Assistant Trainer (Australia)

Ben Gleeson is Assistant Trainer for Te Akau Racing Australia at Cranbourne, Victoria. Working closely with Mark Walker and the Australian team, he is involved in the daily care, training and preparation of the horses, raceday operations and communication across Te Akau’s trans-Tasman stable.

Ben comes from a racing and breeding family. He grew up at Phoenix Broodmare Farm in Euroa, where he learned about breeding and foaling from his father, Damian Gleeson, while his mother, Merilyn Anderson, trained at Seymour. He also spent school holidays working with Lee and Shannon Hope before completing a Bachelor of Business Management at La Trobe University in Melbourne.

His professional experience includes roles with leading Australian trainers Peter Moody and Henry Dwyer. Ben then spent two years in the United Kingdom with Hugo Palmer, gaining further exposure to racing systems in Germany, France and Ireland. Before joining Te Akau, he spent five years as Assistant Trainer to Danny O’Brien across the Flemington, Barwon Heads and Geelong operations.

Ben has particular expertise in the use of GPS and training data to monitor heart rate, recovery and each horse’s response to work. He combines that information with practical horsemanship to help tailor programmes, identify concerns early and support the development of every horse.

Appointed to Te Akau Racing Australia ahead of the opening of the Cranbourne stable in 2023, Ben has played a key role in establishing the operation and maintaining Te Akau’s standards of horse care, preparation and owner communication in Victoria.