Fair Final Winner Has Proven To Be More Successful Under Saddle Than In Harness

This year’s RUS New York Fair Final winner made getting to the winner’s circle look like a breeze. 

One True Friend and rider, Hillary Hartnett, crossed the finish line almost exactly 2 seconds faster than the next finisher at Friday night’s non-wagering exhibition held at Saratoga Hotel and Casino. The duo posted a time of 2:04.3. 

Although Hartnett and her 10-year-old mare she calls Trudy only had one fair victory under their belts going into the race, they had proven to be stronger on larger tracks. 

 “I knew if she stayed flat, our chances were very good,” the 27-year-old rider said after her victory. “She was a powerhouse and crossed the finish line with ear plugs still in.”

According to Hartnett, the game plan was to sit in the pocket or lead coming off the gate. 

“Leaving from post position one, we easily made it into the pocket,” she said. “Approaching the quarter, Trudy wanted to challenge for the lead, I let her. We rated the next quarter side by side until passing right after the half. Then it was smooth sailing. It is apparent that this mare LOVES to race and win.”

That is under saddle anyways. One True Friend has not proven to be so successful in harness and that is the reason Hartnett got the chance to try her under saddle. 

“I started her slow,” explained Hartnett. “She was very high energy and dead mouthed and spooky. So I started jogging her under saddle and working on suppling her up and it was basically just a process of figuring each other out.”

The horse and rider were aquatinted last year and were able to get two starts. The pair did not place better than fourth. 

“She had proven that she enjoyed racing under saddle and we decided to give her the winter off of racing completely,” Hartnett said. “In the early Spring, the owner (Wesley Miller) came to me and offered part ownership. I had no idea how I would come up with the money, but was determined to make it work.”

Not long after, Hartnett had part ownership in her first race horse. There was another attempt to race the mare in the harness,  but she still was not proving her abilities. Hartnett said she and Miller made the decision to strictly keep her racing under saddle until the season was over. 

“She proved herself from our first matinee race and win that she would be a contender with the other horses throughout the season,” Hartnett said. 

One True Friend is not an easy horse in any way, according to Hartnett. However, she says she likes this about her spirited mare. 

“I'm the kind of person that would rather have a challenge than something you just sit and enjoy the ride,” she said. “She is a mare and shows her witchy mare attitude often. She loves attention even though she pretends not to and truly just wants to please. She is a fighter and LOVES to race under saddle. We have created a bond and that means more to me than winning.” 

Hartnett said the journey has been one of trial and error. One of bonding and getting comfortable together. 

“When I started her last fall, she was new to us and was not the healthiest,” she said. “She also was having some lameness issues and just was not at 100 percent. We've changed bridles, different over check bits and head gear and then gave her the winter off to heal and get healthy.”

One True Friend is not the only horse Hartnett has raced under saddle. The young rider first started learning to race in 2015. She said the unique sport caught her eye in 2013 when she was at the Otsego County Fair in Morris. Becoming a licensed rider became a goal and dream ever since, Hartnett said. 

“I spent a lot of time, money, and energy getting myself to where I am today,” said Hartnett, who was licensed in 2015 and participated in her first qualifier the following year. 

Hartnett qualified a mare named Maple Grove Emily— a horse she described as a bottom-class horse racing at Vernon Down’s that had been raced under saddle with other riders. 

“She was a great horse for me to start and learn the strategies of racing,” Hartnett said. “We placed a few times, but never won a race that year.”

Hillary Hartnett with Maple Grove Emily.

Maple Grove Emily had done good enough to make the fair finals, but Hartnett missed the opportunity to participate because the mare was sold. Hartnett thought her racing season had come to an end. She was wrong. A few weeks later she received a call to come meet Trudy.  

The Morrisville Equine Breeding Management alumni, said she had never been involved in the harness racing business or even  been to a track before her aspirations to race under saddle were inspired. 

“I was no stranger to the Standardbred breed because of my educational background, but every aspect of harness racing was a new learning experience for me.” she said. 

Hartnett calls the sport addicting. 

“Ever since the first time I trained under saddle I was hooked,” she said. “I have always had a need for speed on a horse, but was never allowed to since the disciplines I was riding were not about speed. Since day one I knew this had been my true passion and I couldn't get enough of it. I still cant.”

Hartnett works at Leatherstocking Equine Center in New Berlin, but says she often wishes she could race horses under saddle for a living as it is something she would love to do every day of her life.

The horse enthusiast said she has been riding horses since she was a young child. Hartnett said she started by taking English riding lessons and then eventually added hunter/jumper to her endeavors. 

“I never showed before college, I just took lessons and rode,” she said. 

Hartnett, who is originally from the Rochester area, now resides in New Berlin. She owns a chestnut Thoroughbred mare that she says was given to her as a untrained 2-year-old. She was a training project that Hartnett says she now ride for fun.

The fair series was made possible thanks to the $5,000 grant provided by the New York Sire Stakes as initial purse money. This marks the fourth year of the series, which included nine races at fairs across the state. Horses are required to compete in at least three races throughout the series to be allowed entry into the championship race.

Six horses qualified to participate, but only five entered.

All participants received $600 for earning their way into the final race.The Saratoga Harness Horseperson’s Association donated $200 per horse entered. The winner also received a championship cooler and gut supplement from Carhart’s Harness Shop. 

A High Point Rider Award was once again presented at the final to the rider who earned the most points, regardless of horse(s) ridden throughout the series. This year’s winner was Michelle Miller who rode in every fair race this season.