Kayla Lum is reveling in more responsibility

by Chris Lomon

With more horses comes more responsibility – which suits Kayla Lum just fine.

After a rookie season that yielded five wins and 21 top-three results from 57 starts, the trainer from Burlington Flats, a hamlet in the Town of Burlington in Otsego County, NY, has been handed the reins of a bigger stable in 2026.

Lum is up for the challenge.

“I do set goals every year,” she said. “This year is my second official year of training. I did well my first year, but now we have many more horses in the barn. We grew substantially. Our goal is to always improve our stats. We want to set ourselves up to have more wins – just more of everything, really.”

Lum knows precisely what it will take to achieve those objectives.

“It will take lots of hard work,” she said. “I am in the barn at least 10 hours every day, but I enjoy it. This is one of those industries where you need to work hard to see your goals happen.”

It is something Lum had a front-row seat for as a kid.

Her family, including her mom, Ann Yurenka, have longstanding ties to standardbred racing.

One of Lum’s fondest memories happened 20 years ago, courtesy of an outstanding filly, who had a short, but successful career.

Tessel, a daughter of Conway Hall out of the Pine Chip mare Name Dropping, would race 22 times, winning six, along with a pair of seconds and four thirds to go along with $172,282 in earnings.

Bred in Italy by Allevamento Labambolaccia, the trotting mare caught Lum’s attention the moment she set foot into her stall.

“She was a sweetheart,” Lum said. “She was a very special filly to me. She came into the barn, and I took to her right away.”

Tessel took Lum, her mother and driver William Bailey on a late summer thrill ride in 2006.

After sires stakes scores at Saratoga Harness and Batavia Downs, the trotter lined up behind the starter car for her $150,000 divisional sires stakes final on Sept. 16.

Sent off as the 5-1 fourth choice in the betting, Tessel, with Bailey at the controls, rallied from second to win by 1¾ lengths in a time of 2:00.2.

“It was such an amazing moment,” Lum said. “I was very loud, cheering her on.”

Lum remained an impassioned fan of the sport even when she stepped away from it for nearly a decade.

“Right after high school, I got married and had kids, so I was out of the business for about 10 years,” Lum said. “And then I came back in 2018 when I was working for Paul Kelley.”

It was the co-ownership — along with her mom — of a bay trotter that would be inspiration for Lum to pursue a training career.

“My mom and I bought a horse, Paya Tuesday,” Lum said. “We bought him as a yearling at the Goshen sale, and he got me seriously thinking about becoming a trainer.”

Just like she did with Tessel, Lum doted on Paya Tuesday from day one.

The son of Crazy Wow out of the Equinox Bi mare Paya La Renta was no stranger to having his photo taken in the winner’s circle.

“He was in the fair circuit, and he won a number of races there,” she said. “He won the fair final at Monticello in 2022. He is the baby of the barn. He gets whatever he wants. We bought his full-sister the following year and my sister trained her and did very well. This year, we have his half-sister, Paya Valor. We have done very well with that family.”

Lum has done well herself.

In her first year of training, she won five races and recorded 21 top three finishes.

She didn’t have to wait long to celebrate her first pari-mutuel win.

After a fifth with Myells Rockstar in her debut on June 19, 2025, the pacing son of World Of Rocknroll topped the charts next time out at Vernon Downs, with Lum’s boyfriend, driver Joe Nassimos, in the sulky.

“My boyfriend bought me the horse and I owned him and trained him,” Lum said. “It was a proud moment, but I am always proud when any horse I have in my barn wins. But that first one with Myells Rockstar was extra special because I was listed as the trainer. It was nice to experience that moment.”

As for the best aspect of her job, Lum opts for any moment one of her horses crosses the wire first.

“Just seeing them win, knowing they gave their all, is a great feeling,” she said. “It takes a lot to get them to the races, to make sure they are at their best and that they are happy and healthy. So, when you see them succeed, you understand how much work went into it.”

The biggest challenges, she noted, are the moments when finding the key to unlocking a horse’s potential or off-key performances seem like an impossibility.

“When you can’t figure out what is wrong with a horse it’s easy to get frustrated,” she said. “But there is always that sense of accomplishment when you figure things out. Some days, like in any job, it seems no matter what you do, you can’t solve an issue, but that never makes you give up.”

Having a strong cheering section also helps.

“My mom is a big support and so is my boyfriend,” Lum said. “I’m very lucky. When you have tough times, they are there to lift you up and when you have success, you get to share those moments with them.”

And maybe there is someone in the family who one day might follow in her horse racing footsteps.

“I love spending time with my kids,” she said. “My boys are not interested in racing as much, but my daughter, who is young, just loves the horses. She loves to come to the barn to see everybody and then just hang out. It is so nice to see that she enjoys it so much.”

Something that Lum, busier than she has ever been, knows all about.