by Chris Lomon

There was a time, not so long ago, when standardbred trainer Nikki Kosciolek bristled at the very thought of stepping into the spotlight. Not anymore.

Working in relative anonymity, whether it was on a farm, in the stables, or the paddock on race night, seemed to be an ideal fit for the young woman from Rochester, NY.

“I enjoyed flying under the radar,” said Kosciolek. “Any relationship I have been in with someone in the industry, I preferred to be in the background with the racing. It’s not as though I don’t enjoy being the backbone and keeping things together, but I liked being off the radar.”

The pursuit of accolades, applause and adulation has never guided Kosciolek in her life or career.

That mindset remains the same, but with somewhat of an asterisk.

Whereas she was once uncomfortable embracing success in a more outward manner, time and experience has prompted her to look at her career through a different lens.

“I wanted to prove that I could do this, the training, to myself and to others,” she said.

Kosciolek’s path to the harness racing world began at a New York horse farm.

A long-held love of horses brought her to the property.

“I am not from a horse family at all – not racing, not riding, not anything,” she said. “I did, however, take riding lessons when I was younger. The farm I happened to be at was Barb and Clint Galbraith’s daughter’s place. She was my trainer and friend.

“They needed help with the racehorses one day and I kind of got thrown into it. I decided I liked making money more than I did winning ribbons, so that was it for me.”

At the farm, Kosciolek had a room with a view, literally.

“You were on call 24/7,” she said. “You are the one always there. It was demanding, but when you walk down the stairs and see a foal who was born 40 minutes earlier – it was a job where it was a little bit of everything. You get to work with the retired horses, the babies, the stallions, ones who need to rest from racing. I could walk right out back and watch horses training on the track.

“I worked with Barb for quite a few summers, helping with the breeding and a lot of things. I had an apartment above the barn. So, it was quite the way to start, working with a multiple Hall of Fame family. It set the bar high. I just fell in love with the standardbreds. I have taken quite a few from off the track and shown them, but it isn’t anywhere near the thrill of racing – so, here I am.”

Where she is, though unexpected, has been better than she could ever imagine.

It was those times spent on the farm, often early mornings and some late nights, that helped set the standard for Kosciolek’s approach to her craft.

“Working on a horse farm might be overwhelming for a lot of people, but for a horse girl, it was a dream come true,” she said. “I think that experience is what gave me my work ethic. You literally do everything.”

A myriad of roles was the perfect prescription for Kosciolek.

“I didn’t always want to work with horses,” she said. “I have always been very driven, someone who sets goals and does my best to reach them. I went to school to be a pharmacist, but a big reason I came back to the horses is that I felt if I had done the former, I would have been very bored.”

Her time in racing has been anything but tedious.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

“I have worked for a lot of great people,” Kosciolek said. “After I left Barb and Clint, I worked in the Buffalo and Batavia area. I did some travelling — I worked at a farm — and I worked for Kenny Holliday for a long time, at his farm and in Ohio. I also worked for John Mongiello.

“I know some people are labelled as a barn jumper, but that is not the case. I am very committed to the people I work with, and I am very loyal.”

Kosciolek is also an avid student of the game.

“It’s awesome to take bits and pieces from everyone I have been associated with in the sport,” she said. “There are a lot of great horse people who have so much knowledge to offer. You might be working towards the same end goal, but there are so many different ways to find that solution.

“It’s great to see the different perspectives and approaches people have. It’s so helpful to work for people who keep you learning and do what is best for the horses.”

Much of that knowledge gained has found its way into her own training regimen.

While her game plan for conditioning horses is very much her own, it does contain traces of other horse people’s philosophies when it comes to creating a winning formula for pacers and trotters.

In this, her first year of training, Kosciolek is staying with the moment, rather than looking too far down the stretch drive.

“I never thought I’d be where I am with this, but I am glad I took a dive and gave myself a chance,” she said. “I don’t have goals in terms of how many wins I would like to get. I prefer to look at things in a day-to-day approach.”

Owners and others have taken notice of her talents.

“I have one owner who told me that wherever I go, he would support me,” Kosciolek said. “It has worked out well. I have four horses right now, racing two, and a couple who needed some time off.”

Kosciolek, who also works in the barn of fellow trainer Jeff Brewer, has already shown a keen eye for picking out winning types.

That was evident on the evening of April 3 at Miami Valley.

A horse — she didn’t know his name — caught her attention in the paddock.

“I had no idea who he was,” Kosciolek said. “Something about him – I loved his look, and he had this great personality. I spoke with Jeff [trainer, Brewer] and asked him to find out who he was because I wanted to claim him.”

Just who was the striking 9-year-old chestnut gelding?

“I found out his name is Mighty Breeze,” she said. “A few weeks later, I claimed him for $8,000. We had some figuring out to do, and he just took off soon after.”

Right to the winner’s circle.

The son of Straight Shooting—Bramblerose delivered Kosciolek back-to-back victories, including her first training win, on May 18 and 24.

“He is a great horse,” she said. “When I meet him in the winner’s circle, I swear he knows how much that means to me and how much I appreciate how hard he tries. He is a very smart and willing horse.”

One who happens to have a distinctive look.

“All my geldings get mohawks – everyone knows them in the paddock,” she said. “He is such a ham, and he has the craziest personality.”

Fashion statements aside, the well-traveled pacer has also earned a rightful reputation as a steely competitor.

“He’s a hard worker,” Kosciolek said.

Just like his adoring trainer.

“I will probably end up getting a few more horses,” she said. “I have a couple of people who are interested in sending me some horses, so I will likely get a bit bigger.”

But not too big.

“I have no intention of having dozens and dozens of horses in the barn,” she said. “I like the smaller scale, so somewhere between 10 and 12 horses would be ideal.”

That number would also accommodate Kosciolek’s passion for travel.

It has taken time for her to find the right balance between barn work, biking, backpacking, beach life, or sightseeing beyond the shedrow and training track.

“Travel is very important to me,” Kosciolek said. “You miss a lot of life for these horses. I have had to convince myself that it is okay if someone else takes care of them for a few days and that they will be there when I get back. So, I enjoy the chance to travel when I can, even if it is for a couple of days.

“I did a 24-hour trip to Disney World with some friends a little while ago, and I am going there again soon.”

An opportunity, albeit brief, to enjoy life at a leisurely pace, away from the racing spotlight.

And when she does step back into that world, Kosciolek won’t ever feel out of place.

Life, she will gladly tell you, isn’t so bad when you are on the radar.

“I want to prove to myself and others that I can do this on my own,” she said. “For a long time, I was in the background, but that has changed… and I couldn’t be happier.”