A bright expectation changed Karly Warner’s life
by Chris Lomon
There was a time when Karly Warner wasn’t sure she wanted to carry on her family’s horse racing legacy — until a bay trotter changed her mind.
Standardbred racing had been part of her life since before she took her first steps, from trips to the racetrack to long days in the barn and working as a groom.
Her love for the sport and the horses was never in doubt. Whether she wanted to make it a career, however, was another question entirely.
“My parents [Kerin and Michelle] have done this their whole lives, their parents did it and my aunt and uncle did this as well,” she said. “I grew up in this industry. My parents would take me to the races. I grew up on a farm and I loved it. But I didn’t think I wanted to do this.”
Then she met Bright Expectation.
“He changed my life the moment I met him,” Karly said. “He’s a 6-year-old Cantab Hall. I got him two years ago through an online sale. When I met him the next day, it was a true bond.”
From that moment on, the two were inseparable.
“I got my groom’s license when I was 15 and my trainer’s license when I was 19,” she said. “I got to work alongside him, and he was the one who made me want to get my trainer’s license. I took the test and passed, and I have had it for two years now. He’s the main reason why.
“When I walk into the barn, he knows my voice and he finds me right away. He can be a little rude to other people, but he is totally different with me. He’s so goofy and funny. I have so many photos and videos of him just being himself. I have five other horses, but he is my baby.”
That connection prompted a major life decision.
Once again, it was the horse with a half-faint star who helped guide her.
“I’m in college right now, my final semester, at the University of Albany, where I major in Forensic Science and a minor in Criminal Justice,” Karly said. “I have been doing online classes because I have found I truly love this industry and I think I want to do it full time. So, I put my degree on hold for the time being. It wasn’t my plan, but ‘Bright’ made it be that.”
Karly’s parents fully backed her choice.
“My parents are my biggest supporters,” she said. “They always wanted me to go to college. When I told them I wanted to do this [racing] full time, they supported me. They have taught me everything I know. They said that I could put my degree on pause. They know I love this horse and the people around me, and maybe it is not the time to finish my degree for now.”
Helping her horses achieve top marks, be it personal-best times or otherwise, is Karly’s priority.
In her rookie training season, she recorded five wins and 32 top-three finishes from 57 starts.
Her first parimutuel win came on Aug. 4, 2024, with Smart N Sassy, a bay son of Courtly Choice.
“It was on a Sunday because I remember they had the sires stakes that day,” she said. “I actually got Jason Bartlett to drive my horse. It was exciting to get that win. At the time, I was 19, and I think a lot of people were shocked that I got this win and got it with Jason. I was in awe that day. I truly thought I would never get a win. It was just unbelievable. It was really cool.”
She matched that five-win total again the following year.
Now, the New Jersey-born horsewoman is hoping one of her future victories comes from a very familiar partner.
“Last February, Bright Expectation broke his coffin bone,” she said. “I was in tears. We rehabbed him for over a year, and he is finally back jogging and training. He is going to be ready when Vernon Downs opens for training in a couple of weeks.”
Her goal is simple: go one better.
“Bright has seconditis, so I would love to get a win with him,” she said. “I have won with my other horses, but it would mean so much if I could win a race with him. I would love to do it at Tioga Downs, where we race right now. Jim Pantaleano drives Bright, so having them win together would be the greatest feeling. I also raced him at The Meadowlands against the biggest trainers in the sport, people like Ron Burke and Tony Alagna. We finished third in the open and it felt like a win.
“He is always so close and then it seems like, ‘No, I don’t want to do it. Second is fine.’”
That she’s even in a position to chase that win is something she doesn’t take for granted.
“I grew up in Jersey and mainly went to Freehold,” Karly said. “I would always sit in the kitchen. My dad used to drive, and I would love to watch him race. I would talk with the other drivers. I loved playing with the horses and going to the track. I grew up on a farm.
“We didn’t have a lot of horses back then — now we have around 50 — so we have come a long way.”
And she’s just getting started.
“The horses pulled me in, and I am so grateful for that,” Karly said. “My goal is to have fun and for the horses to have fun, too. It takes up a lot of your time, but I am okay with that. Outside of racing, I am doing online classes. With this industry it is kind of your whole life, but I love that. And I love my horses.”
That love was on full display in the days leading up to Easter.
Every horse in her barn received a personalized, pastel-themed gift, while also sporting a festive look.
“I know it sounds a bit crazy, but I bought them all Easter baskets with treats and I dressed them up,” she said. “They loved it and I love them. It was a nice reminder how happy I am to be here.”
A gift, in every sense, that keeps on giving.
