by Chris Lomon

Where does Kayla Pressel stand when it comes to her horses? It all depends on the context of the question.

The love the young horsewoman from Maryland has for her standardbreds is unquestionable.

It can be found in the way she dotes on them and also in the excitement they bring out in her when they line up behind the starter car.

The night of June 23 at Ocean Downs was a perfect example of Pressel’s unbridled enthusiasm for all things horses.

She didn’t have great expectations for her beloved 14-year-old gelding Just Bettor when the starter called the field of seven for the evening’s 12th race.

The veteran pacer, who has over 320 career starts to his name, went off at 15-1. His two previous races at the Maryland oval resulted in a seventh and an eighth, a combined 43-plus lengths behind the winners over those dashes.

“I tried to switch things up with him,” Pressel said. “Instead of dropping him into a $5,000 claimer, I dropped into the $1,500 with a $5,000 tag.”

Just Bettor, with Hugh O’Neill in the race bike, went out to a clear lead, eight lengths, to be exact, at the start.

He was still in front by a half-length at the half and maintained that lead at the stretch call.

As the finish line loomed, the 1-5 favorite came calling.

Watching from outside the paddock, Pressel wasn’t sure who got there first.

“I was screaming,” Pressel said. “[Fellow trainer] Alex Goldin was there with me, and I was so nervous that I started walking onto the track. Alex came up and said, ‘Kayla! You’ve got to get off the track.’

“It was so close. I was scared that we didn’t get it. From where I was standing, I thought we finished second. I had to run over to the TVs in the paddock to see it for myself.”

She would like what she saw.

Just Bettor was indeed just better than his rival, by a half-length.

“It was my first training win, so that was very exciting,” she said. “I didn’t expect it. He had been having a rough time at Ocean Downs, so I wasn’t expecting much.

“Hugh put him on the front and backed them down to a minute at the half, which I wasn’t expecting. Coming into the stretch, I saw the favorite coming and I thought we might not get there. But my horse kept on going and found a way to get to the line first.”

It would be the very definition of a picture-perfect moment

“I had my friends in the winner’s circle with me, which was an amazing moment,” she said. “I love racing at Ocean Downs, so to get my first win there made it even more special.”

Pressel was able to put the enormity of the accomplishment into perspective the next morning.

That she was able to achieve the milestone with Just Bettor was the proverbial icing on the cake.

“This guy doesn’t owe me anything,” Pressel said. “When I bought him, I didn’t expect much from him. He was a $2,700 purchase and he’s made $7,000 so far this year. He has done everything I have asked of him, and he is the perfect horse for me to get my first training win.”

Now, Pressel has her sights set on more moments like the one on that late June evening at Ocean Downs.

Her stable has since expanded to two horses with the addition of Spodogg.

The goal is to see the stable grow but stay at a manageable number.

“I would like to add a couple more horses,” she said. “I bought Spodogg from Indiana. He’s very nice and I like him a lot. My long-term goal is to have a stable of my own. I love what I do, and I would love to do it with more horses.”

Pressel’s passion for horse racing and its equine stars began in her native Pennsylvania.

“A friend I lived by back home was in horse racing,” Pressel said. “She took me out to Rosecroft, where I met [trainer and driver] Brian Tomlinson. Brian asked me if I wanted a job, so I started working for him as a groom. I took care of his horses for about two years — we had a nice stable of around 15 horses — and he taught me how to put the harness on, how to jog, and so many other things.”

Fittingly, Tomlinson was in the sulky for Spodogg’s race at Ocean Downs on Aug. 1.

The duo finished second in the 11th race on the card.

“A full-circle moment for me,” said Pressel, who worked for a few trainers after she moved to Delaware. “The person who taught me about racing was driving my horse.

“It’s an entirely different world going from being a groom for somebody to being a trainer. When you work with them the whole week, train them, prepare them and they go out and compete – it is a very different feeling.”

And a rewarding one, despite the ups and downs that come with horse racing.

Pressel has learned to navigate the challenges with a winning outlook.

“It’s addicting when you start in racing and when you get your own, you want to keep adding and adding,” she said. “There are a lot of hard days and challenging ones, and you get down on yourself, but the good days outweigh the bad ones.

“I just enjoy being with my horses. Honestly, I never do anything outside of racing. It’s all about the horses for me.”

With half the year already in the books, Pressel is looking to add some more successful chapters to her racing resume by the end of the season.

The blueprint to achieve her goals is a simple plan, but one that speaks to a young trainer’s fondness for her career.

“I would like to win some more and work with my horses to make them the best they can be, but also make sure they are healthy and happy,” Pressel said. “That is all I can ask for.”

Perhaps she could use a friendly reminder along the way, the one telling her where to stand when one of her horses finds itself in a duel to the finish line.

Then again, she might already have a plan in place.

“Next time, I will stand by the TV to watch… just so I don’t find myself on the track again,” she said.