Brittany Clarke: harness racing “gets in your blood”

by Chris Lomon

Brittany Clarke can’t recall the exact moment it happened – the moment she knew she was there to stay.

She had been around racehorses her entire life, thanks to her family’s deep-rooted connection to the standardbred world.

“I was born into the industry,” said Clarke. “My dad is in the business, my mom, my uncle, my grandfather – so I was born and raised in it.”

But early on, she didn’t see it as her future.

“It wasn’t something I wanted to do early on, so I went to college.”

A life-altering incident would change Clarke’s career arc.

“About 15 years ago, I got into a bad car accident. I wasn’t allowed to work. I had to have physical therapy on my arm. I was going onto the on-ramp and the person behind me didn’t realize it was a stop, rather than a yield, so I got rearended.”

How long her physiotherapy would take was a question mark in the early aftermath of the accident.

One thing Clarke did not want to do was remain inactive, both mentally and physically.

That’s when she had an idea.

“I started coming to my dad’s barn,” said Clarke. “Being around the horses kept me busy, so I wasn’t just sitting around at home. I was around the horses as a kid. I played with them, brushed them and groomed them, but it wasn’t something I wanted to do. I wanted to go to school and do other things. But then it gets in your blood. Once you step in, you’re not stepping back out.”

A bay son of Four Starzzz Shark helped make that decision permanent.

Bred by White Birch Farm in Allentown, NJ, the gelding was trained and co-owned by her father.

There was a horse – his name was Treasure Hunter – that I was taking care of for my dad. I don’t know… we just clicked. I knew that I wasn’t going back to my job and that I was staying here. I think it was this horse and others who changed my whole idea of it. So, year one turned into year two, into four, and then into a groom’s license, a trainer’s license, an owner’s license, and now I have a couple horses of my own.”

And she has zero regrets.

“I definitely don’t [have any regrets], even though I am paying my student loans for something I am not doing,” Clarke said with a laugh. “I am very happy. It is not a job for me. It is a life, a hobby – so many things rolled into one. I am not just going to work every day. I am going to a place I truly enjoy being at.”

Along with her boyfriend, driver and trainer James Kennedy, Clarke is currently training a stable of two, both 2-year-old pacers and both sons of Stay Hungry.

“One we purchased together, Endure To The End, who we own half of – our first baby together. We also have Arizona Lightning, a homebred for my boyfriend’s dad. This one is a project horse, but most two-year-olds are. We are going with the flow. It’s been exciting to break one and get it ready for the races. It’s very rewarding for us.”

So, too, has been the ability to work well as a team.

“It is very hard for any couple to be around each other all day like that – working together and living together. I watched my parents do it.

“We pass everything by another. He can share his thoughts, and I can share mine, so it is that teamwork that carries us forward.”

The primary goal, for now, is to bring along their two pacers and see them succeed.

If that comes to fruition, Clarke will then look to expand the size and scope of her operation.

“This year alone, we’d like to see our stakes colt develop. I am hoping for a nice stakes colt who can get us ahead, so that we can buy a few more horses. We have had some horses for owners, but we would like to own a few more of our own.”

Words that Clarke never imagined she’d say years ago.

These days, reminders that she’s found the right path are everywhere.

“I love putting away horses, looking over them, and making sure they are sound and happy. My boyfriend, who is a driver, tells me I have a good eye, that I can see if a horse has a certain need. My mom was that way. She was like a horse whisperer. She could walk in the barn and see things in a particular way, and I think that is the way I am now. I like being around them and taking care of them as if they are kids.

“When I pull up in my car in the mornings, they know it’s me and I can hear them nickering. Those are the sounds you love to hear every day.”

Away from the sights and sounds of the stables, Clarke enjoys channeling her TV viewing to a certain channel, and spending time with family.

Canadian harness racing is also on her yearly to-do list.

“I did go to college for criminal justice and psychology, so I watch Court TV like crazy,” she said. “I love being with my family. I also like being outside and travelling. My mom is in Prince Edward Island. I go home every year, near her birthday, which is right around Gold Cup and Saucer week. My dad is from Nova Scotia, and I was born in Edmonton.”

Clarke has also found family-type ties in the industry she is proud to be part of.

“It is such a personally rewarding business to be in. The people are wonderful – it is like a big community.”

She discovered that in the aftermath of driver Hunter Myers’ passing in March.

“When I created the bracelets for the fundraiser for Hunter, I was getting messages from countries who I didn’t think knew about harness racing. I was sending bracelets overseas. It was amazing – people from all over the world reaching out to show they cared. That’s what this industry is all about.”

An industry she walked back into – and has no intention of ever walking away from.