by Chris Lomon

Riley Asher-Stalbaum embodies poetry in motion.

Whether during her childhood, when she would sit trackside to watch races, or in more recent years as a standardbred trainer, Asher-Stalbaum has rarely been without a book by her side and pen and paper within reach.

“I started loving reading and writing, especially reading, at a very young age,” Asher-Stalbaum said. “My mom is a big reader. She would read to us at the races, at home, or at the barn – she was always reading to us. When she was busy, I’m the oldest of four siblings, so it was my turn to read to my brothers and sisters.

“It’s something of a joke… I always have a book in my bag when I pack for the races. I have all my horse stuff and a book or two.”

Asher-Stalbaum’s time in the standardbred world — and even outside it — has already had many interesting chapters written, from family ties to individual successes, to personal awards and team triumphs.

The horsewoman from Leslie, MI, a small, friendly community of around 1,900 people located just south of the state capital Lansing, developed her fondness for all things equine through her parents, trainer Kim Asher and driver Larry Stalbaum.

“The barn was always a constant,” Asher-Stalbaum said. “We moved nearly 20 times, but no matter where we were, there were always horses and the barn. When we grew up, we developed different interests and moved to different places, but the barn was where we were always together.”

Asher-Stalbaum’s early contributions to the family’s racing stable came in the form of art and fashion.

Win or lose, their horses always looked the part.

“I remember going out to the barn when we were too young to help,” Asher-Stalbaum said. “We would draw with chalk on the walls or put pretty ribbons in the horses’ hair. We would bring out the pretty bandages when the horses raced. I think our job back then was to bedazzle the horses, to make sure they looked pretty on race night.

“When we got older, we got to train with mom and dad. We would sit in their laps and hold the lines. They would take us two at a time and since there were four of us, two would always be upset when the others were out on the track. It always felt great to be out there.”

In 2018, after years of learning the trade from her parents, Asher-Stalbaum struck out on her own and did it in grand fashion, despite some early trepidations.

“We were in Batavia, racing at Buffalo,” she said. “My dad took part of his stable and went back to the Saratoga area and I stayed in Batavia with my mom and my siblings and had four horses that I trained. It was a lot of fun to be in charge and make decisions, but there was a learning curve that came with it. I would be calling my mom and dad, asking for their insight, and for a little bit, you think, ‘Maybe I don’t know what I’m doing.’ But you reassure yourself you can do it.”

If she did require more reassurance, a look at her year-end rookie totals would be the ultimate boost of confidence.

Asher-Stalbaum won 32 races and posted 83 top three finishes in 185 starts.

She earned a pair of seconds in her first two starts that April, both coming at Buffalo Raceway, the half-mile oval in Hamburg, NY.

The third start would prove to be the proverbial charm for the young trainer, fittingly, with Empire Earl N, a seasoned trotter her mother had previously trained, and father had driven.

On the night of April 21, it was the eldest of the four Asher-Stalbaum siblings who would hear her name announced just moments after the first race.

With Ray Fisher, Jr. in the sulky, the bay son of Earl—Santa Nita forged to the front after an opening half in :57.3. A quarter-length ahead of the even-money choice after three-quarters in 1:27.4, Empire Earl N, second choice in the betting at 5-2, was a half-length on top at the stretch call.

And then, in the final push to the wire, a wide smile emerged from where she was standing.

“It was one of the most thrilling moments of my life,” Asher-Stalbaum said. “I was so happy, so excited – I could not stop smiling. We had always won races before, but it was always my mom and dad, so to hear my name called… it was a whole different level of excitement. My siblings were there, and my mother was too.

“It was close almost right until the end. He pulled away and I knew he had it. He made me stressed for most of the mile.”

The trotter also brought out a vocal reaction she hadn’t expected.

“I can say the whole paddock heard me for sure,” Asher-Stalbaum said. “I tried to be calm, cool and collected, but I did get excited. I might have been a little dramatic.”

At the conclusion of her rookie campaign, Asher-Stalbaum, powered by multiple wins from Empire Earl N, Quicksilvercandy A, and Kaitlyn Rae, sported a sparkling .300 UTRS (Universal Training Rating System) mark to go along with purse earnings of $234,436.

But it wasn’t only on the racetrack where she made a strong impression – others had taken notice of her achievements.

The Upstate New York Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association feted Asher-Stalbaum as its 2018 Rising Star at Batavia Downs.

“It meant the world,” she said. “It was so incredible, and it was such a big surprise. All the hard work I had put into my own stable, while honoring my parents and their legacy – to be able to stand on my own and be recognized just meant everything to me.”

On the cusp of reaching the 100-win mark for her career, Asher-Stalbaum has crafted her own identity and with it, gained confidence in herself and her horses.

She has also incorporated advice from her parents into her training methods.

“Patience was something my mother has always preached,” Asher-Stalbaum said. “You can’t ever rush things. When you are having a bad week or bad month, take a step back, look at the whole thing, and be patient. Whatever it happens to be, you will see it if you are not scrambling to fix everything all at once.

“My dad always has these helpful sayings. His big advice is always to look at the horse and see each one as an individual, that one solution is not going to work for every horse, to adjust my training schedule to them. You have to be the one to adjust and work with them.”

What did Asher-Stalbaum learn about herself in 2024?

“I have learned to be more patient, and I have learned to take more risks,” she said. “I am a very conservative person, in terms of my personality. I don’t like to put myself out there and I don’t like to take chances. I will generally take the safer path because that is what I feel most comfortable in.

“But with racing, you can’t always take that safe path. Whether that is simply buying the horse, trying something new with your horses – taking risks is almost never as scary as it sounds. I have learned to step outside the known path and try to improve myself.”

Currently stationed in Sacramento at Cal-Expo, the plan, in the short term, is to return to Michigan to race in the spring.

For the person who has been a sojourner of sorts — Asher-Stalbaum was part of youth groups who visited Thailand, Ecuador, The Galápagos Islands, and Namibia, Africa, where she joined a team of scientists in tracking and tagging big cats — she feels right at home in The Wolverine State.

“I am definitely a warm weather person,” Asher-Stalbaum said. “We came to Cal-Expo to train our babies down and give them a lighter winter too. I’m looking forward to going back to Michigan. They are getting races set up again, so I am excited to see what they are doing with the track. Hopefully, we will get some more races and more opportunities. That is home, so if I had to pick a place to go, it would be in Michigan.

“We also have a Michigan baby, a 2-year-old, who will start racing soon. From there, it is a little undecided.”

Wherever she does find herself, Asher-Stalbaum is certain to add some more fulfilling chapters to her life in and beyond the barn.

“I’m working on publishing a poetry book, which I hope will be out soon,” she said. “Naturally, a few of the poems are inspired by horses. I sent it out to people. I write short stories too and I hope to become a published author with novels, but with poetry, it is a way to express feelings I don’t have the time to when I’m at the barn or races. It’s nice to have that outlet, to have those moments where I don’t have to worry about anything else.

“Racing, reading, and writing each offer something unique every day. The horses are my constant inspiration, and the hard work and dedication required in racing are mirrored in everything I write and do.”

If someone were to one day pen a book on her horse racing experiences, Asher-Stalbaum knows the perfect author for the project.

She laughed heartily before adding, “I think it would have to be an autobiography.”