In a game with a lot of uncertainties, there happen to be a few guarantees involved – changes, travel, and milestones. Changes are guaranteed in harness racing. From one day to the next, the barn can change, horses change, and horsemen change. Even something as simple as equipment changes as often as the calendar changes. Changes are expected. Travel is also expected. Whether for the horsemen, the horse, or both, a lot of time is spent on the road. There is always a lot of movement – to ship and race or to move to a new home. And milestones. There’s always the milestone of a first time to the track, first race, and first win before moving on to the greater achievements and then the benchmark that celebrates the finale of a career. For the Strattons, these certainties are all true, especially with their horse and latest retiree, Marty Monkhouser A. Marty Monkhouser A is a 15-year-old gelded son of Village Jasper – Penny The Pussycat foaled in Australia. In his time Down Under, ‘Marty’ added triumphs in the Breeders Crown to his résumé. Under the guidance of Shane and Lauren Tritton, he raced overseas until about halfway through his 6-year-old campaign. In June of 2016, Marty moved stateside under the guidance of Jody Riedel until October 2019 when Cory Stratton claimed him out of Yonkers. After a second in the first start, Jordan Stratton drove the gelding to his first win under trainer Cory Stratton. The pair had four starts together before the barn shuffled. In late 2020, Marty even moved north to race in Canada for five months before returning to the care of Cory in October 2020. In May 2021, the barn shuffled again off a claimer and it wasn’t until late 2021 that Marty was a mainstay in the Stratton barn. In June 2023, Vicki Stratton took over training Marty and Cory drove him to victory. He was once again claimed in August 2023 and raced in Pennsylvania until March 2024. “Last year he got claimed as a 14-year-old at Pocono and we made a promise that we would get him back no matter what. We tried to buy him back at the end of last year, but it just didn’t work. In March of this year, we bought him back for $6,500,” Cory said. “Before he was claimed last time, I promised Vicki that he would be her amateur horse so I had to get him back.” April 5, 2024 was their first start together with Vicki in the bike for Cory. The race was an $11,500 Meadowlands Amateur Drivers Club event with 10 entered at The Meadowlands. Vicki sent Marty forward off the center of the wings and achieved the early lead. Without looking back and opening up at every pole in 27 4/5, 56, and 1:23 4/5, Vicki and Marty stormed home to win by 11 lengths in 1:53 1/5. A milestone victory. The win was Vicki’s first career driving win. “Her first race she won I was actually at Yonkers and I made it over just as they were behind the gate, but she took a victory lap just to make sure I made it to the winner’s circle,” Cory said. “She didn’t know if I was going to make it or not. I texted her, my GPS showed 6:25 p.m. and there ended up being a delay and the race went off at 6:27 p.m., but she took a victory lap just to make sure that I was there. We were both crying in the winner’s circle.” “It was pretty awesome to get my first win with him considering he’s been in and out of the barn however many times and he’s just such a cool horse,” said Vicki. “You train him and never know he’s as old as he is. He can be a little bit funny like if you don’t know him, he can catch you off guard a little bit. He really is a perfect gentleman. Through the mile, I never thought about it any time I’ve drove before, but I looked up at the Jumbotron of us out there on the screen and I was like wow, that’s pretty cool. Then I looked over there after we won and it was just a surreal feeling.” Marty and Vicki shared the track for 12 starts, winning another race on May 10 by 3-1/2 lengths in 1:54 3/5. Fast forward to their 12th start together on July 5, Marty’s planned final start if he wins. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter Vicki and Marty lined up in post six in the field of 10. The wings drew away and Kissinbythebeaches and Peter Kleinhans designated themselves as the pacesetter for the mile. Yayas Hot Spot N and Yogi Sheridan got away second to the opening panel in 27 1/5 while Marty Monkhouser A was third. The field shuffled en route to the 56 2/5 half and Marty continued along the pylons now in fifth. He was still fifth at the 1:24 4/5 three quarters while Kissinbythebeaches maintained his lead. Turning for home, Marty found an opening to come off the pylons and challenge the leader down the lane. Kissinbythebeaches was relentless, but Marty powered enough to win by a neck in 1:52 2/5. His final win. “The whole stretch all you could hear was Vicki yelling, come on Marty this is your last one,” Cory said. “She was emotional all day,” Cory added. “She knew he would win the other night. It was the same thing, I was at Yonkers and I got there five minutes before the race and she was crying already, so I was like, ‘what’s wrong?’ and she said, ‘it’s sad that it’s his last start’. I said, ‘well, if he doesn’t win, he’s racing again’ and she’s like ‘he’s gonna win, I’m telling you.’ She knew.” “It was pretty special to get his final career win,” Vicki said. “Considering he had spent so much time with so many wins in our barn.” Marty Monkhouser A recorded his 61st career tally, moving his record to 61-57-40 in 348 starts with $765,756 earned. Twenty-three of his 61 wins were with the Strattons. Technically Marty is eligible to race one more time in the amateur ranks at The Meadowlands since the rules allow for 15-year-olds to earn up to $25,000 in a year. His yearly total stands at $24,930 but it was important for the Strattons that he went out a winner.  “I thought it was a cool thing that we got him back and Vicki was able to get her first win. I wanted him to go out a winner so it worked out well the other night. He’s absolutely a dream horse to drive for Vicki. He can leave the gate, you can take him off the gate and finish strong. He’s really been a blessing for all of us,” said Cory. “All three of us – Jordan, Vicki, and myself – have won driving with him, so it’s pretty cool.” As a great portion of his life was spent with the Strattons, Marty did not find himself in the harness as often in training. “We always towed him [keeping one horse on a lead chain in one hand behind/next to you while having another horse in a jog cart]. He was my favorite to tow because he didn’t do anything wrong, and even though I didn’t necessarily sit behind him a lot, he was always right next to me,” Vicki said. “I could take pictures and videos of him towing and there was never an issue.” After a life of travel from Australia to the States to Canada and back across the East Coast of the U.S., Marty has found his forever home. His life of travel ends at the Stratton’s new farm in Middletown, New York where he will spend his retirement. The farm is situated on 10 acres and even has a trail in the back. “We live on a farm so he’ll live in our backyard forever,” Cory said. “I want to keep him in training to train him with the babies next year, but he won’t let anyone beat him so that won’t work. Vicki will start breaking him to ride pretty soon and we plan on going trail riding. “He loves to be outside,” Cory continued. “He’s kind of a bit of a sourpuss in the barn, he pins his ears, but as soon as you pet him he’s fine. He’s never bit anybody or anything, but as soon as you pet him, he’s perfect. He only tows, we haven’t put a harness on him since he’s been back. He just loves his life. He’s a cool horse, gets along with everybody. He’s one of the toughest horses I’ve ever seen. What he did for Vicki was the most amazing part to me. “He goes outside with all the good horses every day and comes in, he’s the boss, he does whatever he wants. Anybody can be around him. He can be a little aggressive jogging, but walking anybody can do that. He’s a great horse. He deserves a great home.” Though she agrees with Cory’s assessment of Marty, Vicki said that Marty does have his quirks. “He is a perfect gentleman, but you never really know which version of Marty you’re going to get,” Vicki said. “The week prior to his final start, he was kind of a jerk in post parade and I couldn’t get him to turn. Sometimes he’ll get a little hot, not so much to be stupid, but he’ll half throw himself. You don’t feel like you’re going to get thrown out of the bike, but he doesn’t wear an overcheck so when he gets his head down, he’ll get his earplugs out. When I ended up going a first quarter in 25, he was doing that in post parade and got his earplugs out and I was doomed from the word ‘go’.” The gelding, full of life and personality, is owned in partnership by the Vip Internet Stable LLC and Stratton Stable Inc. He joins another retiree at the Stratton’s farm for a life of well-deserved rest and happiness. “I owe a lot of thanks to our partners. To pay $6,500 for a 15-year-old to just race in the amateurs is unrealistic but as soon as I told them they said, ‘we’ll take him.’ It’s good for them, too. A lot of the members that owned him when we first had him bought back into him at 15 and they were all in the winner’s circle the other day. He’s everybody’s favorite horse.” Now in their stable together, Cory and Vicki have 37 horses. “Vicki came down and worked for Jeff Gillis from Canada and I was just branching out on my own in 2018 and I had like three horses,” Cory said. “In 2019, Jeff and I bought a few horses together and Marty was actually one of them. We claimed him together and then I sold him and the other one we owned together to Jeff, and we split up and Vicki and I stayed together and grew from there. I had three and then five and then seven, and now we have 37. We’re busy and on the road just about every day, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.” Cory has 383 wins and over $6.3 million earned as a trainer, and as a driver he has 710 victories with nearly $3.4 million earned. Vicki has three wins as a driver, all earned with Marty. As a trainer, she has 30 wins and is just shy of $270,000 in earnings. The pair traveled to Saratoga Springs last year and won the $250,000 Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial Pace with Idealsomemagic A. They travel frequently across the northeast with starts at tracks from Pocono Downs to Yonkers Raceway and the Meadowlands. Though there are a lot of uncertainties in harness racing, Cory and Vicki Stratton have found their solid ground together and with the help of Marty Monkhouser A. “Marty’s definitely made me cry multiple times,” Vicki said. “I cried with the first win, cried with the last win. And Cory teased me because I basically cried all day – loading him in the trailer, getting him ready, when I was warming him up, and even now.”