Kayla Morris discovered that standardbreds are her true calling
by Chris Lomon
Welcome to Kayla’s Corner.
It’s an exclusive place found in the barn of horse racing couple — groom Kayla Morris and trainer/driver Lee Morris — a spot lovingly reserved for special pacers and trotters.
“If you come to Kayla’s Corner, you have a home for life,” said the horsewoman based out of Tioga Downs, before adding with a laugh, “You have to be privileged to be there.”
Currently, a pair of trotters — Tech Titan, a 12-year-old son of Muscle Hill, and Sir Jesse, a 7-year-old son of Jailhouse Jesse — are taking up residence in that section of the barn.
Kayla’s unabashed adoration for the two is unmistakable.
“They are just such good boys,” she said. “Tech Titan was our amateur horse last year and is the same again this year. He tells me what he wants to do. He tells me if he wants to jog, or if he is going to stay in his stall for the day. He is the king of the barn and has me wrapped around his finger. He will probably retire at the end of this year and be my riding horse.”
And then there’s the regally named Sir Jesse.
“We bought him around last November,” Kayla said. “He came into the barn and I cried. I knew he was mine. He’s an absolute sweetheart and such a goofball. He shakes his head and screams at me when I come into the barn in the morning. You could not ask for a better horse.”
They could not ask for a better caretaker.
A life in harness racing wasn’t Kayla’s original plan. Hailing from Leominster, a market town in Herefordshire, England, her journey to standardbreds was anything but linear.
“I’ve known Lee since we were kids,” Kayla said. “We actually went to farrier college together in England. I decided that being a farrier was not for me, so I got into the thoroughbred world. I worked in that industry for a few years until Lee and I connected again in England.
“Lee and I planned that we would like to come back to the U.S., and he would work with standardbreds and I would work with thoroughbreds. After about six or so months working with Lee and his dad, I realized that standardbreds — trotters are my absolute favorites because they have the best personalities and are so docile and versatile — were my true calling. I would choose standardbreds every day of the week.”
The couple first went to Florida for the Pompano meet then moved to upstate New York, not far from Tioga Downs. Lee recorded his first U.S. win as a trainer with Better Call Saul on June 24, 2022, at Tioga. He also piloted the trotter, securing his second victory in the States as a driver (his first victory came in January 2018 at Pompano).
He also became the first British-born driver to win a race at The Meadowlands, the milestone coming with Feelin American on March 17, 2023.
It’s no wonder that Kayla, who first came to the U.S. when she was 17, is feeling right at home in her racing career.
Now a mother of three — she and Lee have two sons and a young daughter — Kayla has also created a close-knit, family-like atmosphere in their barn.
Kayla’s Corner isn’t the only must-visit spot in the barn.
“I take care of everybody,” Kayla said. “We have a girl, Megan, who has worked for us from the beginning. We also have Kayla’s Snack Shack in the barn, so I keep everyone fed — horses and people — and groom the horses who are in the barn at the moment. It’s a very happy environment.”
But their journey hasn’t been without heartbreak.
Shortly after arriving at Tioga Downs in 2022, tragedy struck. On Nov. 9, 2023, a devastating barn fire at the New York racetrack claimed the lives of 30 horses. The Morris family lost 12 of their own horses and all their racing equipment.
Horsepeople from across North America and beyond rallied to support them and others, raising funds and offering aid.
“We have gone through the highs and lows, but we always say that things will get better,” Kayla said.
And they have.
The stable achieved a career-best season in 2024, highlighted by 23 wins and $185,071 in purse earnings.
“I am a nervous wreck when I watch the horses race,” Kayla said. “I love them all so much. They are all my pets, and they all have quirky stable names. They are part of our family, and we treat them that way. It doesn’t matter if they win a $5,000 claimer or the Hambletonian, seeing them win is an amazing feeling.”
But not the most treasured one – though it comes close.
“The best part is seeing my kids with the horses,” she said. “My eldest son has a heart condition, and he is autistic, so he isn’t much into the horse scene. Our middle son, William, he is his dad down to a T. He shoes his own horse, jogs him and loves his horse to pieces. Our youngest, our surprise baby, Isabelle, she is 1 and she has already sat on their backs and patted them. She talks to them.
“Horses are like therapy, I guess. Watching the kids with them is the best feeling in the whole world.”
Kayla is hopeful that their close-knit association with racehorses translates into a career in standardbreds.
“I am hoping my kids go into the industry,” she said. “I have no doubt in my mind that William is going to drive and shoe – he loves everything about the industry. He even has his own little set of racing colors he jogs the horses in. He will definitely follow in his dad’s footsteps.”
A journey that could very well see the next generation of Morris family horsepeople bringing their own beloved companions to a place where they’ll always have a home: Kayla’s Corner.
