by Chris Lomon

It was, of all things, a direct message that put Abby Olsen on the fast track to a life in standardbred racing.

There were no family or friendship ties to standardbred racing or anything otherwise that would have suggested a career in racing was in her future.

Geographically speaking, a possible opportunity for work in the industry was not too far down the road – literally.

“I live 10 minutes away from Running Aces [Columbus, MN], so that’s how I discovered the sport,” Olsen said. “I went with my parents a few times, and I thought, ‘Wow, this is fun.’ I didn’t have any clue about what it was, but I knew that I liked it.”

Those visits to Running Aces, along with the accompanying array of sights, sounds and the adrenaline rush of live racing, sparked something in Olsen.

One day, it motivated her to open her laptop.

“It was in my college freshman year when I reached out to [driver/trainer] Nick [Roland] and Jess [Johnson] through Facebook and asked if they were looking for help over the summer at Running Aces,” Olsen said.

She liked the response.

“When they said they did need help, it was very exciting,” she said.

For the past five-plus years, Olsen has worked as a groom for Roland Racing Stable.

It didn’t take her long, perhaps a few days at most, for her to realize the racing world is vastly different from a typical 9-5, Monday to Friday job.

“You learn very fast that it is a lot of long hours,” Olsen said. “On race nights, you can be there until 2 in the morning, depending on how many of your horses are racing, and what races they are in.”

After a couple weeks in the barn, Olsen fully embraced the demands of the role, a result of who she was working for and who she was working with.

Horses, the ones she would watch race at Running Aces, were becoming like family.

“It took me a little bit of time to figure out what I was doing and getting into a routine where I felt comfortable,” she said. “But right from the start, you get connected to the horses – they draw you in pretty quickly.

“I have been fortunate to work with some very nice horses, ones like Teachmehowtotory, MD Magic and Giggle Monster.”

The latter would slot into the category of “heart horse” for Olsen.

A Minnesota-sired son of Wind Me Up, out of the Sportsmaster mare Sportstal, Giggle Monster was a force throughout his decorated career.

In 2017, he was named Harness Horse of the Year in Minnesota when, as a freshman, he won seven of nine races accompanied by a pair of seconds in his other two starts, with a mark of 1:55.2 for the year.

Second in his final start, on June 11, 2023, at Running Aces, the bay gelding went 35-23-14 from 128 starts and recorded $198,377 in lifetime purse earnings.

The classy pacer was also a hit in the classroom.

“He is with me now,” said Olsen, who graduated from UM Crookston in May of 2024. “He’s on stall rest and he’s going to become a trail horse. I brought him to college with me for a class on retraining racehorses. Everyone loved him. He was a sweetheart in the barn and somewhat crazy on the track – I just loved that personality.”

That unbridled fondness for standardbreds was one reason, a big one, why she decided to delve into horse ownership, albeit on a small scale.

“Jeremy’s Alibi is the first racehorse I owned,” she said. “I own 25 per cent of him with Jess and one of her partners. He didn’t do that well last year, but it was fun to co-own a horse.”

Soon enough, Olsen, who also jogs horses, paddocks, and oversees the horses on the Roland Stable farm, might expand her role in racing.

It was during her second year as a groom when she first thought about becoming a trainer. While she put that goal on the back burner for a few years, she has pondered it more often in recent times.

“I would like to become a trainer one day,” Olsen said. “In my second year, it was a dream and now, it feels more like a reality. Ideally, I would like a smaller stable, around five, 10 max.”

When it comes to fruition, the way she currently watches her horses compete will come along for the ride.

“I try to keep it all inside when I am watching them race, but it’s hard to watch sometimes – you do get nervous,” she said. “But seeing them win is a great feeling.”

For now, there is much to celebrate.

Olsen was named the 2024 MHRI (Minnesota Harness Racing Inc.) Caretaker of the Year. The annual award recognizes caretakers/grooms who have made a significant contribution to Minnesota harness racing.

She received the honor at the MHRI annual meeting and awards banquet held at Running Aces on Feb. 22.

“It was a big surprise,” Olsen said. “I was overwhelmed by all the Facebook posts and messages.”

Before the start of the 2025 Running Aces season — the first card is set for May 18 — Olsen will be on the U.S. west coast, specifically, Cal-Expo, to help with the string of Roland Stable horses.

After the curtain closes on her time at Cal-Expo, she will make the 1,914-mile trek back to Minnesota and the familiar sights and sounds of Running Aces.

“Since I started, I’ve seen horse racing grow a lot in Minnesota, which is great,” Olsen said. “People here love their racing and the horses. I hope it continues to grow.”

Which is precisely how she speaks of her involvement in racing.

Just like her contemporaries, she allows herself to dream big.

“Winning the Little Brown Jug would be great, but the most important part is that I enjoy what I do,” Olsen said. “I want to work hard and be the best I can be. There are a lot of ups and downs in racing, and there isn’t much of a social life, but I am happy to be where I am.”

A place where a simple approach to her craft is always in style.

“I would say that hard work is what makes everything work,” Olsen said.