Ontario's Newest Thoroughbred Trainer

RACING CORNER

BY JENNIFER MORRISON

KRISTI ROBERTS LEADS OUT NINO DE MAMA at Fort Erie on July 8

KRISTI ROBERTS

Ontario's Newest Thoroughbred Trainer

It has been a year of 'firsts' for Kristina (Kristi) Roberts, the newest Thoroughbred trainer in Ontario who opened her small stable at Fort Erie racetrack in early July.

Kristi has put in long days, months and years to get to this point in her career. Becoming a trainer was a goal she set for herself when she began working for owner and trainer Anne Cameron as a high school student some 25 years ago.

“I had an interest in horses since I was 3,” said Kristi.  “When I was in high school, I saw a sign up for any kids who wanted to learn to work with horses for a co-op placement. Bless my mom, she took me to meet up with Ann at 4:30 in the morning every day to go work at Woodbine.”

When Cameron opened a stable at Fort Erie, Kristi worked for her in the summers.

Three days after graduating from high school., Kristi was ready to work for a trainer in the winter but it had to be a horseperson her grandfather, a successful blacksmith, knew of.

“My grandfather Bill Lawson was one of the original founders of Canadian Racing Plate,” said Kristi. “He knew a lot of horsepeople and he wanted me to work for one he knew.”

 

Kristi Roberts with eventual champion Lexie Lou,

Norm Files photos

Kristi got a job with one of Canada's all time top trainers, Roger Attfield, and spent her first winter at Payson Park in 2002. Over the next 10 years she worked for successful trainers such as John Ross and Josie Carroll. She was a foreman for Ross when the great Lexie Lou, eventual Queen's Plate champion for Mark Casse, was a 2-year-old for Ross.

One of her favourite jobs was working for Mike Keogh, trainer of Wando, the 2003 Canadian Triple Crown winner. “He was a big part of helping me believe in myself,” said Kristi about Keogh.

Kristi was getting close to writing her assistant trainer's test, taking night classes at Woodbine, when her pursuit of her dream had to be put on pause. She was about to be a mother. When her son was old enough to be in day care, however, she was back at Fort Erie and soon was assistant to leading trainer Julie Mathes.

One of her closest friends at the track is trainer Joe Humber who has helped her take the next step to becoming a trainer. He offered Nino de Mama, a horse he co-bred, to Christina Mills who then hired Kristi as trainer. The gelding by Black Eagle, was Kristi's first starter, July 8, and while he had a slow start and “equipment issues”, the experience was a thrill for the young trainer.

“The whole experience was a whirlwind of emotions,” said Kristi. “Things didn't go exactly as planned but Nino was moving smoothly over the grass.”

A couple of days later, Kristi made her first claim, taking the gelding Exceed for Joy and Bob Elkin, who also own horses with Humber. And in the same week, Kristi shipped in her own homebred 2-year-old by Black Eagle into the track. A unraced filly owned by Dom Trapasso currently completes her four-horse stable.

Kristi gives a lot of credit to Cameron for preparing her for the different aspects of racing and breeding. “Anne has always been well versed; she did yearling sales, 2-year-old sales, racing and breeding. With her teaching people, that was important as racing always needs new blood in the industry.”

With one start under her belt, Kristi is hopeful the stable will get on a roll soon. “This has always been my dream and I love it. Hopefully we will pick up steam soon, too.”