Nineteen-year-old Winter Asher-Stalbaum is starting to carve out quite a career.

by Chris Lomon

Winter Asher-Stalbaum won’t ever pull a muscle from patting himself on the back.

It would be easy and perhaps understandable if the 19-year-old driver/trainer might be tempted to take a moment to look back on the start of his career and appreciate what he sees.

But that’s not the way the son of Larry Stalbaum — nearly 7,700 combined driving and training wins — prefers to view his standardbred roles.

Instead, it’s all about moving forward.

“This year, I would like to get to 100 wins,” said Asher-Stalbaum. “I don’t know if that’s possible, but I’d really like to get that by the end of the year. I don’t really look beyond the year that I am in, racing-wise. I bought a few broodmares and I hope to breed a great one, but on the racetrack, it’s always about getting better; to look at what I am doing and do what I can to improve.”

Asher-Stalbaum announced his arrival on the racing scene with an impressive rookie driving season in 2021.

In 68 starts, he went 15-13-9 accompanied by $47,821. The following year, he launched his training career, a season that yielded 30 wins and $213,349 in the race bike along with 28 triumphs and $197,168 in conditioner earnings.

“I think a couple of wins in Maine, when I first started out, would be some highlights for me,” Asher-Stalbaum said. “A horse named Empire Earl N, my sister, Riley, trained the horse back then, we won at Farmington and Cumberland, so those were special. Those were fun wins just because there were so many people there to enjoy it with me.”

This year, he’s added to his win totals.

Recently, Asher-Stalbaum won his 50th career race in the sulky, the milestone coming with Eyes Don’t Lie.

Eyes Don’t Lie, a 6-year-old son of Roll With Joe—Michelle’s Ideal, sprung an 18-1 upset in the featured mares open handicap pace at Northville Downs on June 2.

Asher-Stalbaum also owns and trains the 6-year-old mare, who rallied for a one-length score in 1:55.4.

The victory was the 17th of Eyes Don’t Lie’s career. Her lifetime earnings total now stands at $121,242.

“It was a very special win for a lot of reasons,” Asher-Stalbaum said. “She was rolling late, which is what she likes to do. I was very happy with that. I didn’t think I was actually going to get there for the win, but she kept on coming and gave everything she had.”

The original $32,000 purchase at the 2018 Lexington Yearling Select Sale has been a consistent performer for Asher-Stalbaum since he brought her into the fold in January 2022.

“I picked this horse out on my own, without any input from anyone else, so this is a special one for me,” he said. “I can’t say exactly what it was about her that made me want to buy her. She had a really nice win at Rosecroft [Nov. 24, 2021], but I really liked that she won three straight races at Yonkers [July 28-Aug. 11, 2021]. I thought those were very, very impressive. She is absolutely amazing. She’s done 10 times better than I could have ever imagined. She always knows the right thing to do.”

As does Asher-Stalbaum, who never lets ego get in the way of his decision-making process.

If he doesn’t feel he’s the right horse person for the job, he doesn’t think twice about handing the reins to someone else.

“One thing I think I’ve learned this year is that I don’t get along with every horse that I drive,” he said.

Gotti, a 10-year-old son of Badlands Hanover—Bonita Beach, is one of those horses.

A veteran of 261 career races, the 29-time winner is closing in on $300,000 in lifetime earnings.

In his most recent starts, Gotti, who Asher-Stalbaum owns and trains, has had someone else along for the ride.

“He just did not like me at all, so we went with another driver,” Asher-Stalbaum said. “And that’s okay. For me, it’s always about doing the right thing for the horse and to give us the best chance at being successful.”

Other ones, like Story Book, happen to be a perfect fit, whether they win or lose.

The 13-year-old son of American Ideal—Cinderella, bred and raised by his mother, trainer Kimberly Asher, is the first horse Asher-Stalbaum owned.

“He’s just absolutely fun to drive,” he said. “He does nothing wrong. I have so much fun driving him. I look forward to every chance I get to do that. He’s a great reminder of why I love driving so much. Every race I’m in, regardless of the odds, it’s exciting for me. My mom has over 2,000 wins, and she taught me everything I know about training horses. I’ve learned a lot from so many people in the last three years, but I have a lot more to learn. Every start, you learn something.”

Heeding helpful words along that journey, whether it’s from his father, mother or other horse people, continues to guide Asher-Stalbaum along the way.

Two pieces of advice immediately came to his mind.

“One is that I was told to always have fun, even if it happens to be a tough result or a tough day,” Asher-Stalbaum said. “That no matter what, always try to take something good away from the experience. And that’s what I do, to go out every race, try my best, but also enjoy what I am doing. The other one came after my first pari-mutuel start — it was at a fair — and someone told me to just go out there and drive my race, to not worry about what everyone else is doing, but to focus on what I have to in order to get the best outcome. It’s about racing my race and trying to win. That stuck with me a lot.”

A busy life at the racetrack means there isn’t much time for personal pursuits outside of his standardbred career.

There is a chance, however, that Asher-Stalbaum will one day rekindle his passion for a hobby he indulged in for years.

“I used to do a lot of woodworking,” he said. “I had a lathe and I made bowls and other things, but I haven’t done that of late. I’ve added horses, which means more responsibilities.”

For now, crafting something meaningful in his racing life will remain the top priority.

“I’m very happy with the way things have gone so far,” Asher-Stalbaum said. “I’m going to keep pushing myself, but I’m also going to make sure I enjoy it too.”