Faces At The Races: Elizabeth Stolzenberg

Her present dilemma is her recent $12,500 claim. The plan was to run the horse back for $17,500 but that category was eliminated due to lack of entries. She had to run the horse for $7,500. They won but lost the horse.

How did the owner feel about that? “My owners have to believe in me and be able to sit down and discuss options. I can’t train with my hands tied behind my back,” said the trainer.

Stolzenberg is on a roll at Hastings Park these days, the single mother of two has a win percentage of 41%, easily the best of any trainer at the meeting with at least 10 runners.

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Born in Ottawa, Stolzenberg, 40, was raised in White Rock, B.C.. As a child, she loved horses but was petrified of them. Her first mount was a Shetland pony belonging to her older sister, Diana. Stolzenberg went on to ride with professional trainers but credits Diana for turning her fear of horses into a passion. After high school, she attended the University of the Fraser Valley, graduating with an Agriculture Certificate. She wanted to do her practicum as a milker in a dairy barn, a job that paid well and would lead to a career in the dairy industry. However, fate would send her in a different direction: to Hastings Park. Here, a whole new world opened up to her. Her passion for horses was reawakened and she decided to become an exercise rider. But her first attempts were a near disaster. The busy bull ring at Hastings was not the place for a neophyte. She needed the more tranquil atmosphere of a training centre. Using her Ag Certificate to get herself across the border into Washington as an animal consultant at Woodscreek Training Centre, she developed her skills as an exercise rider.

Stolzenberg returned to Hastings in 1996 where she spent twelve years galloping for Hastings’ leading trainer, Troy Taylor, before beginning her career as a trainer in 2008. That first year, she had one win.

Her win output doubled in her second year and in 2010, she visited the winner’s circle 13 times.

This is what Liz Stolzenberg tells me as we meet in her Hastings Park shed row. Already in 2011, through July 21, Stolzenberg’s horses have flown past those numbers with 17 wins from just 41 starts, good for third in the trainer’s ranks behind none other than leading conditioner Taylor.

Three of those wins have come in stakes races. Classic Alley Kat, a five-year-old mare owned by Glenn Todd and Patrick Kinsella, won the $50,000 Brighouse Belles and the Senate Appointee at Hastings. She then invaded Northlands Park and led gate to wire in the Wild Rose Handicap.

Like her trainer, “Kat” has fought her way up the ranks.

“Kat started at $5,000 claiming and ran second in her first two starts,” says Stolzenberg. “She broke her maiden at Portland Meadows. For Kat, I believe it was the confidence from her first win that got her going. When she returned to Hastings, I won four in a row with her. Then I lost her for $25,000. They tried her in the Ladies Express but she finished off the board. We claimed her back for $25,000. She came back this year ready to take on the top mares.”

Each horse in the Stolzenberg barn has an individual training program. This means extra time for the older horses, her “creepers” as she affectionately calls them. Their warm-up is crucial. A walk to the quarter pole or a half-mile jog may be needed before galloping.

While preparing them for the races, Stolzenberg knows that second careers are important. “I come from a dressage background and I want to keep a horse’s mind and body sound. I do the best I can and that’s what I ask of my horses. If they can’t run, there’s another career for them.”

“I match horses and riders, to make sure they’re compatible.” Steve Rathwell and Dennis Terry Jr. are her main exercise riders. She trusts their ability and judgement. “I can tell them what I want them to do, but once they’re on the track, they have to make instant decisions.”

Stolzenberg is also an advocate for drawing new owners into the game, a challenge for all trainers. “Syndicates are one of the best ways to bring in new owners. I wanted a three-yearold filly that could run in the local stakes races. So I recently put together a syndicate of five owners and claimed a filly at Hollywood Park.”

Stolzenberg’s daughters, Anastasia and Annalise, are relaxing in the tack room as I collect my jacket. I take a moment to look at the win pictures on display. Stolzenberg’s smile seems to broaden with each new win. I smile too as I realize I’ve just met yet another living example of that old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”