by Chris Lomon

Dawn Deaton has become used to the routine, the one where tears of sadness are eventually replaced by tears of joy.

She has been around hundreds of standardbreds over her time in racing, a multi-faceted career that includes time as a trainer.

While each horse she has worked with sports a unique personality, her reaction when a horse leaves or comes into the barn she works at is always the same.

“I always cry when they leave,” Deaton said. “I get very attached to them. It’s hard to watch them go. You take care of them, and you know there will come the day when they have to move on. But as much as you shed tears, you know that another one will come in and you vary those happy tears, knowing you will be able to create a bond with them.”

That unabashed love for horses is not a new discovery for Deaton.

Growing up in Cleveland, her childhood years included plenty of time around horses.

“I’ve always been crazy about horses,” she said. “When I was a kid, it was horse camp in the summers and riding horses with friends every weekend. I don’t think I ever wanted to do anything else except work with horses.”

Her affinity for all things equine eventually led her to apply to Ohio State University’s ATI (Agricultural Technical Institute) program, a two-year course she hoped would lead her to a career working with horses.

Those plans took an unexpected turn prior to her second collegiate year when she was offered an opportunity that gave her pause for thought.

Little did she know, at the time, it would lead her in a direction she had never considered.

“You better have a lot of money if you are going to want a career riding horses because it’s just not there,” Deaton said with a laugh. “So, I switched programs to focus on breeding and that’s how I became introduced to the standardbred side. It was a holiday break, and I didn’t go home during the holidays. One of the guest instructors asked me if I wanted to jog a horse.”

Deaton was momentarily lost for words.

“I had never jogged a horse before in my life,” she said. “But then I did it and I was hooked for life from that moment. They are just the best breed in terms of versatility and being good-natured.”

That experience prompted a major life decision for Deaton.

She could either stay in school for another year or pursue a racing career.

“It was my second year in college and I started having these thoughts of whether I wanted to stay or not,” Deaton said. “You could get a job and learn just like you would in the classroom. [Ohio Hall of Fame trainer/driver] Tom Brinkerhoff said that he would give me a job ‘and I’ll teach you more than that school will and you’ll get paid for it.’”

Deaton accepted the offer and worked for Brinkerhoff for two years. After she got pregnant, she ended up in Lebanon, OH, where she trained her first horse and began the conditioning side of her racing career.

Along with her now ex-husband, Dawn formed a successful stable.

The mother of three sons — two of them, Timothy and Ryan, drive and train — enjoyed her own personal highlights over a training career that began in 2006.

For the past eight years, she’s worked as a groom in the barn of trainer Brian Brown.

“I used to gallop thoroughbreds in college, but when I met the standardbreds I knew that this is what I wanted to do,” she said. “I’ve had my trainer’s license since I was 23. I’ve had some good ones and some bad ones over the years, but I loved them all. I like the foaling and the breeding, but these racehorses are just so exciting to watch.”

Horses like Dart Victory and PJs Legacy.

“Dart Victory was a horse that always gave 110 per cent every week,” Dawn said. “He was probably the first really good horse I took care of. PJs Legacy, who was owned by Brian’s wife, was a sires stakes filly, and she was a really nice horse.”

Then there is Seafire.

The 3-year-old bay son of Downbytheseaside is 5-2-2 from nine starts in his career to date.

On July 1, at Scioto Downs, Seafire, with Ronnie Wren Jr. in the race bike, eked out a head win in 1:49.1 in a $55,000 Ohio Sires Stakes race.

“He’s one of the best horses I’ve ever taken care of in my life,” Dawn said. “He is just so fast. I don’t think we know just how fast he is yet.”

Dawn knows what the future could hold for Seafire.

“Brian’s owners are stakes owners,” she said. “So, at 4, they move on to other homes. You cry and then you fall in love with the next baby that comes in. It doesn’t matter to me if they are big earners or not. For me, I always feel connected to the personality of the horse. Not all of them are easy to work with and not all of them come to you looking like a star athlete.”

Risenshine Seaside, another son of Downbytheseaside, is a prime example.

“He’s one of my top-five favorites,” she said. “He was the little, scruffy yearling, who had an abscess on his neck when he came in. After the first couple of months, I told Brian that I thought this was a really nice horse. He was tiny, but he just kept getting better and better. He just had this look in his eye that told me he was special. He’s made almost $250,000 in his career. So, you can’t always judge a book by its cover. Every horse is special.”

Which is what keeps Dawn coming back every day.

She knows what’s waiting for her the moment she first sets foot in the barn.

“It’s just love for the horses,” she said. “It’s not about winning, having the fastest horses or going to the big races. Don’t get me wrong, I really do enjoy that, but when you walk in the barn and every head pops over the gate and they start nickering at you, that’s when you are reminded that they love you like you love them.”

Another reason to shed a happy tear.

“They really do have a profound effect on you,” she said. “I’m used to it now. I know I’ll cry when they leave, but I know I’ll be smiling when a new one comes in.”