by Victoria Howard

Born and raised in Amherstburg, ON, Taylor Fritz did what any ambitious young trainer would do, she made a move with her racehorses to Batavia Downs in New York.

Although Fritz was raised around the horses, for both her father and grandfather trained and raced standardbred racehorses, making a move can be scary.

They say that change is good, but it can be frightening for you don’t know what lies ahead; but if you don’t take a chance, you will never know if that pot of gold is at the end of the rainbow.

Fritz is one of those people who relocated her horses from Canada to Batavia, NY, to gamble on a new adventure.

“I was raised around horses for my father Brad raced the grand circuit with his father, my grandfather Bud Fritz,” Taylor said. “Father had his own stable racing mostly at Windsor Raceway and it was there that he met my mother, Anita.

“My mother wanted me to do anything other than work with horses so with a lot of encouragement — and I mean a lot — I attended St. Clair College for a diploma in Early Childhood Education.”

A year after college, Taylor started to work at a thoroughbred breeding farm in St. Thomas, ON.

“My boyfriend at the time decided he and I should start our own stable,” Taylor said. “This gave me the encouragement to be able to venture out on my own.

“Presently, I have a 10-horse stable, which six of them I solely own. One is Brocks Fortune, who is now in his last year of racing for he is 14 years old. I claimed him for $6,000 and he ended up racing in the preferred at Western Fair.

Brocks Fortune is special to Taylor.

“’Brock’ is the horse who has brought me the most exciting time in the sport when he won the preferred 2 at Western Fair,” she said. “He has several problems, but in all rights he should, for all the racing he has done. Regardless of his issues, he gives it his all every time he steps on the racetrack. He is truly a war horse and is my ‘heart’ horse.

“I also own Sir Pugsley whose earnings recently topped $500,000. Even though he didn’t earn all of that for me, it is a great accomplishment. Sir Pugsley is now 10 years old and still competing in the open at Buffalo Raceway this summer.”

According to Taylor, every one of her horses mean so much to her and have played an important role, and had an impact, in her life.

“I also own a standardbred named Wesgate Son who I’ve had for 22 years!” she said.

Taylor said that Aug. 13 was a very exciting night for her as she sent four horses out to race at Batavia.

“I was victorious with two — Italia Seelster and Molly Kool — and a third with Princess Sarita,” she said. “Times like these make me realize how much I love doing what I do for the award is priceless.

“The sad thing about our sport is that not many people know what harness racing is or what a standardbred is. The problem is the lack of education, advertising and knowledge of the sport.

I was recently at a hair salon and my hairdresser asked what I did. I told her I trained horses at Batavia Downs. She had no idea what I was talking about, so I explained it to her hoping to bring a new fan to the sport.”

Taylor said she gives credit to tracks like Tioga Downs that provide entertainment between the races and make coming to a racetrack exciting.

“They also provide things for the kids [bouncy castle, etc.],” she said. “We need to get the younger generation involved more and excited about harness racing.”

When asked who her idol in the sport was, Taylor had an immediate answer.

“My Aunt Susie McNair (Fritz),” she said. “Susie worked years for my grandfather and was his ‘right hand.’ I am sure she can do the work of five men and time hasn’t slowed her down a bit.

“Today, Aunt Susie works with her husband, top Canadian trainer Gregg McNair. I’ve always strived to work just as hard as her.”

Other than trying to emulate her aunt, Taylor has other goals.

“Every year I strive to do better than the previous year,” she said. “I hope that one day I could possibly break a baby, train it down and be able to travel with it. I live for working really hard on a horse and watching my hard work pay off. There is nothing more fulfilling.

“My motto is, ‘If you work hard, good things will come to you.’”

Author’s Note: Most of the female subjects I write about you probably have heard of such as Nancy Takter, Casie Coleman, Linda Toscano, Julie Miller, and a few others, but when I notice a young trainer who puts as much time in as these seasoned trainers, devoting every minute to caring for their four-legged kids, I smile.

I started out in the business when I was 17 years old and know that it’s a 24 hour a day/seven days a week/365 day a year commitment.

To these women they are not just animals but are their children. Horses are not machines that run on gas or oil but are living, breathing creatures that God has put in our lives to care for.

Dedicated horsemen/horsewomen are married to the business and have no life other than training or grooming horses for it is necessary if you want to be successful.

But when you reach my age and realize you may have lost years experiencing normal things that others your age did (dancing, traveling, etc.) you wonder if it was worth it.

In fact, I never had a honeymoon because I didn’t want to leave my four-legged kids with anyone else. Am I sorry? No! Even though my marriage didn’t last, — Wonder if that was one of the reasons? Lol — I would do it the exact way again.

In my opinion, every second was worth it! My horses — every one of the hundreds I owned — were my kids and were treated as such. The only regret I have is that I still don’t own them. Of course, many have crossed the rainbow bridge, but if my name was Gates, Musk, or Zuckerberg, every horse would be enjoying life in a pasture eating carrots and treats.