by Chris Lomon

Beth Cook’s “summer job” is still going strong 27 years later.

She had no intention of staying on as a standardbred groom, at least initially, when summer turned to fall in 1996.

That plan, however, went out the stall soon after she started.

“It’s been a while,” said Cook, with a laugh. “It started out as a summer gig, but I didn’t end up going back to school. I went to Pompano instead. I initially had gone to Colorado State University, but kind of got lost in the shuffle out there. It was a big school, and I didn’t have a lot of friends, so I came back to Morrisville [NY] and did the standardbreds instead. That was the spring of 1996.

“A few of us went to The Meadows to work for [late trainer] Bob Key. We got thrown to the wolves right away. We were on the road, shipping horses, and then I moved on to Tommy Sells, and that’s how I ended up in Florida. I fell in love with the horses and that was the end of that.”

But it was also the beginning of a fulfilling life in racing, one that has taken Cook to places she had never imagined.

Her career has also provided a treasured opportunity to work with some memorable trotters and pacers over the years.

“I feel very lucky,” she said. “I’ve been able to travel to some great racetracks and do some Grand Circuit work as well. It’s different than it is now, but I’m glad I stuck with it. I’ve had the chance to be around some very special horses.”

That list includes Road To Broadway, a bay son of On the Road Again, who won 35 races and had 89 top-three finishes over a 211-race career.

Originally a $20,000 purchase at the Canadian Classic Sale in 1993, Road To Broadway earned rave reviews from his connections, Cook included, over his time on the racetrack which yielded $368,096 in earnings.

“We bought him off [trainer/owner] Jimmy Doherty,” Cook said. “We were at Scioto that summer and I fell in love with that horse. I ended up grooming him and eventually, he came back to us. He retired in 2001 and we got him back in 2003. He passed away four years ago. He’s one of the horses that was just special in every way.”

Other memorable horses include Armbro Plato, a son of superstar trotter Balanced Image, and Prime Minister, a pacing son of Three Wizzards.

“There have been so many wonderful horses I’ve been blessed to have worked with throughout the years,” she said.

As for the best part of her horse racing adventure, Cook points to her work with youngsters.

“I really do enjoy working with the babies the best,” Cook said. “When you get them at the sale, break them, then watch them develop into the racehorses, it’s a really fun journey. You see them go from those gawky kids into sporting their muscles. The first time you meet the horse is always special to me. There is so much that has to happen from the time you get them until that first race. You get those goosebumps and your heart races when you see them line up behind the starter car for that first race.”

Those moments are, said Cook, not always easy to take.

“When they get to that first race, we all know what it can be like, especially for those young trotters. When it’s good it’s good, and when it’s bad, it’s bad.”

It’s nearly identical for almost every race that includes one of her pupils.

Cook is both seen and heard throughout the grandstand when she watches one of her horses go postward.

Just over two weeks ago, all of her emotions came out in the first race at Buffalo Raceway.

“I get loud, but I stay pretty quiet at the start,” Cook said. “I look away when they are on the gate. I don’t like to watch that part of the race. We have a horse, Barn Credit, who I call Butters, and he raced at Buffalo in early July. I got to sit in the bike with my boss, Steven Pratt, during training sometimes, and when the horse qualified, you understood that he likes to come from off the pace. He likes a target to chase after. He can get them that way. In that race, [driver] Kevin Cummings put him on the front, and Butters fell asleep. He got passed at the three-quarters pole and dropped back about three lengths off the lead. Coming off the last turn, another horse came up beside him and he dug back in. He ended up getting up for the win right at the wire.”

Drama aside, it was another cherished win for Cook.

Margin of victory, how the trip plays out, or even if there is a little luck along the journey, is of no importance to their proud groom.

Seeing them come out on top is a scene she never tires of.

“To watch them go out there and give everything they have, it makes your heart happy,” she said. “It makes those early days and long nights worth it. It will never get old. If your heart doesn’t start beating fast when the starter calls them to the gate, then it’s time to get out. That’s what you work for and that’s what keeps you going.”

When she isn’t tending to her trio of horses, Cook prefers the home life in her native Perry, NY.

A village in Wyoming County, the place that’s home to just over 3,600 people, is the perfect foil to the hustle and bustle of racetrack life.

If she does need that excitement in another setting, Cook knows exactly where to go.

“I used to raise show pigs, but I got out of it three years ago,” she said. “I’m a big Buffalo Bills fan. I go to all the games. If it’s not racing, it’s the Bills. I enjoy cooking too, and I am somewhat of a homebody. I live 40 minutes from the barn, and about an hour and a half from Buffalo.

“We have around 3,600 people and 34,000 cows. It’s the largest dairy county in New York State. This is where I grew up. There are a lot of mom-and-pop places, no big department stores or restaurant chains. I come home from the track, and I like to cook and take care of my flowers.”

The horses she tends to, however, are never far removed from her mind.

It’s been that way since she started that summer job nearly 30 years ago.

“The horses can drive you crazy, but they’re also fun and wonderful too,” Cook said. “I’m glad I stayed on and did this. It’s funny how it all started, but I couldn’t be happier doing what I do.”