Trainer Lacey Gaudet Takes Momentum Into 2017

Trainer Lacey Gaudet has a lot to live up to as the daughter of a renowned Mid-Atlantic trainer Ed Gaudet and respected Maryland horsewoman Linda Gaudet, but the sister to racing analyst Gabby Gaudet is taking it all in stride and thriving with her fledgling stable. 

At 28, the Upper Marlboro, Md., native put the finishing touches on a substantial season on the East Coast circuit with 31 victories from 171 starts and more than $800,000 in earnings. She struck at a nearly 18% win rate during a year that saw her stable grow from virtually nothing to one of the heat-seekers of the region.

She added an exclamation point to the season when she saddled Farfellow Farm's Marabea to victory in Gulfstream Park's $125,000 Claiming Crown Tiara and Matthew Schera's John Jones finished third in the $200,000 Classic, then went on to win the Jennings Stakes at Laurel Park Dec. 31.

"A lot changed this year," Gaudet explained. "My dad retired in 2013 and my mom had a handful of horses and I had some of my own. We ultimately decided to combine our horses and really work together like we did with dad. After winning just four races last year, we've seen our percentages, our winners, and our clientele do well. We peaked this year at 30 or so horses, but now we are down to 17 and I have been working toward getting better and better. I'm blessed with a great team behind me and some great clients like Matt Schera, Farfellow Farm, Barry Schwartz, and Morris Bailey." 

A former assistant to Tom Albertrani, Helen Pitts, and Allen Iwinski, in addition to her father, Gaudet stays centered as she attempts to move her stable forward. Perhaps it is a lifetime spent on the backstretch that has kept the well-spoken conditioner gracious and modest. Or, even more likely, it is the journey she has taken, filled with learning curves she has challenged herself to conquer. Either way, Gaudet converses with an eloquence and humility beyond her years. 

"My father obviously was a huge influence," Gaudet said. "He provided me with an incredible foundation and encouraged me to go work for other trainers and hone my skills, as well. They all gave me something different. Tom was great and taught me about handling top horses, while being with Helen—who had Einstein at the time—was huge for me as a young woman in the game to be part of a primarily all-female team. She and women like Mary Eppler, who (recently became) the first woman to ever take a Laurel training title, are inspirational to me.

"Working for Allen at Saratoga probably left the biggest mark on me," she reflected. "He was notorious for being hard on his assistants and he made me work my butt off. He had Sean Avery in the barn at the time and really taught me so much about legs, aggressive placement, and running them where they belong. He also helped me with my riding, which is huge considering I get on a great deal of my horses every day. He made me prove myself wrong when I thought I couldn't do something and he was the first hug I got after winning with Marabea, which definitely made it emotional. Nine years after taking a stakes photo at Gulfsteam Park with Helen and Einstein, I was taking my own."

The "old-school" hands-on influence of Gaudet's style is noticeable and inherent. Her record in 2016 speaks for itself. She is eighth by victories and purses in the highly competitive Laurel Park standings, striking a 22% win rate and tipping her hand as a talented trainer of turf horses. 

"When I first started honing my skills, I loved grass horses," she said. "I think it is because training your typical grass horse is at its core an 'old school' method. A lot of younger, newer trainers are all dirt speed, which is great for those types of horses. I enjoy training and have done well with those, but I enjoy grass racing just as much because it adds longevity to horses and comes fairly naturally to me."

No matter one's level of prowess, the game of horse racing can be as unforgiving as life itself. That reality is something which Gaudet, whose iconic father is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, appears to have a firm grip as she moves forward and pivots toward progress and prosperity for her nascent operation.

"My father has his good days and his bad, but you still see the same person he was as a horsemen and there was no one better to people," Gaudet explained. "I know this is a competitive game, but he taught me so much about being good-hearted and wanting those around you to succeed as much as you do yourself.

"In my early twenties, some people thought I was just taking over my father's operation and living off my last name, but the truth is we went down to nothing, struggled and built it back up from square one with both the way he taught us and my own modernized way," she concluded. "That makes you humble and I think you have to stay that way in this game. You work hard and when it starts paying off, you can't expect it to stick around. You have to keep focused and help the clients to achieve their best while taking the best care of your horses."