Harness: Profile of driver Jacqueline Ingrassia

Jacqueline Ingrassia, known to many as Lady J and the driver of 2000 Yonkers Trot winner Goalfish, has been involved in the sport for more than six decades and still competes regularly against the best drivers in Harness Racing. At 75, she owns a current-year UDRS of .396, and along with her husband Frank, campaigns one of the best 3-year-old trotting colts on the Pennsylvania circuit in Dandy.

With 1,176 driving wins and a lifetime of experience in her rearview mirror, Ingrassia's passion for the sport remains intact. Taking a break from the "action" on a Monday afternoon, the 1999 New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame inductee took the time to discuss her journey in the sport and the horse that is taking her on a great ride in 2022.

How did you get started in harness racing?

I was born and raised in England and as you know, England is not the hotbed of harness racing. However, I got into riding horses when I was very young because my sister got me into riding under saddle. We happened to live reasonably near someone who had Standardbreds, which is a rarity. I had never heard about Standardbreds until I got into it. I started exercising them under saddle when I was 12 or 13.

Why did you come to the United States in 1970?

To do this. I think I was 17 when I moved across the country to North Wales because that is where all the action was. There was a harness track there. For some reason Noel Simpson from Down Under had decided to build a track in North Wales. I got a job training horses for Lord Langford and I was there until I was 23. I figured I'd gone as far as I could there because there weren't many opportunities for women. So I talked to Noel Simpson, I guess he was one of the 'big cheese's' down in New Zealand, he was well known and well liked. I asked him if I should go Down Under or the States. I don't know if that is true now because women have made great strides down in New Zealand. A friend of mine had just been in the States and said they ran into a guy named Tony Abbatiello and he said he is always looking for good help. So I had Lord Langford write to Tony Abbatiello and when I got a reply I was on my way within a month.

Would you say Tony Abbatiello helped to kick start your career in the U.S.?

Yeah. He helped me get my license. He gave me my first drives.

You and your husband Frank have been racing horses for more than four decades. How did that start?

Well, it's more like five decades now. Tony Abbatiello sent me to Yonkers with four young horses to train and I happen to be put in the same barn, barn A I believe, as my future husband. That's how I got to know him. It was 1971.

Has racing been the sole source of income for you and Frank?

Yes, and it was pretty meager at times. We survived and we are comfortable now. We built a home and we are more than satisfied with the way things have worked out.

Is it hard to work together with your husband day and night?

No. A lot of people say 'I don't know how you do it,' but we've been together since 1971 and we were married in 1975. We are together 24/7. We've had our ups and downs but it works for us.

With 1,176 career driving wins you rank third in history among women. Does it encourage you to see more women entering the sport via amateur racing?

Yes and I would like to see more. We've come a long way but there is still that stigma
attached, not for me anymore because I'm old enough to be all these guys' mother, grandmother maybe. Now I've gotten over it and it is in the past, but I can see where young women would have a tough time, it is tough for anyone, but especially tough for young women. A lot of times these women are names you never hear but they are the backbone of the sport as far as I'm concerned. These grooms and second trainers, they know how to put in a days' work, and they just love the animals for the most part.

Why has it been so difficult for women drivers to break into the sport?

I really don't know, but I don't think it is just this business. I think in a variety of jobs women are looked down upon. I'm not on a soap box about it. It is just reality. I think we've come a long way and I'd like to think I've helped some women along the way by inspiring them. That's not why I'm doing it. I do it because I love to do it. I'm selfish, I absolutely love this business and my last breath will hopefully be around a horse. Like I said, women are making strides but it's baby steps.

Along the lines of your last breath around horses, in 2019 you suffered two broken wrists and bleeding on your brain and liver in an on-track incident. At 75, is it that love that keeps you on the track?

I couldn't do anything else and I wouldn't want to do anything else. Retirement is not in the cards for me or my husband. I think we'd get old really quick sitting around. That was just a freaky accident. I was back driving three or four months later. I couldn't wait to get back in a race. I had broken my leg years back and I drove with it in a cast, but obviously I couldn't drive with a broken wrist. I'm lucky to be able to do what I do. I love the business and the Standardbreds. To me there is no other breed that compares to them for versatility and kindness. They are just the best.

What kind of car do you drive?

I have a Lincoln hatchback. I'd much prefer to drive our one-ton truck. I feel safer in it and I really like it.

Favorite dinner meal? Snack?

I probably can't give you a favorite dinner meal but I can give you a list of deserts I love. My husband always says 'she'll start with the deserts and to hell with the rest.' My favorite is any kind of chocolate and ice cream variation.

What is your favorite track to race at? Why?

It used to be at Freehold. I cut my teeth at Freehold and I bet a good 90% of the races I won were there. We graduated away because we kind of got horses that needed bigger tracks. We've been all over but we started racing at Chester [Harrah's Philadelphia] when they opened and I really like to race there. It is only about an hour and ten minutes away from us, the people are very friendly there and our horses seem to like that track. Now we race 90% at Chester.

What is your favorite big event in racing?

That's a tough one. It would have to be the Hambletonian being the trotting person that I am. I watch all of the big races but I think I'm a little more boned up on the trotters than the pacers. We haven't had a pacer in our barn for many years, maybe 15 or 20. We switched to trotters mainly because we hooked up with Arden Homestead and that's all they have.

How often are horses or racing on your mind?

I can't say 100% because I have a family and a son that is beyond expectations. I would say 90% of the time.

What is your favorite thing to do outside of racing?

We used to go on cruises and had been doing that for the last 20 years, but unfortunately with COVID things have changed considerably. We like to go away with friends, all horse people of course, and this last year we went to Florida. A good friend of mine Richard Hans, he had Googoo Gaagaa, he has a condo in Fort Myers and he's generous enough to let us use it whenever we want. This year we are going to go down for two separate weeks to enjoy the warmth and get away. Also, when I'm home, I have a retired Standardbred and I like to ride him.

What is your favorite sport? Team?

I don't have one. If anything, I'll watch some NFL football. I like to watch the lead up to the Super Bowl. My husband is a huge Giants fan and there is a lot of comradery in the barn between the Eagles and the Giants fans. But I'm really not into sports.

What is one thing about you most fans/bettors don't know?

I have an unbelievable son. He's on a SWAT team. We always tell him that we got the wrong son at the hospital because he is so unlike us. He's never been interested in horses but that's fine. He's buttoned up, has his act together and has a wonderful wife. It makes my day just thinking about him.

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What is one word that describes harness racing for you?

I'm not sure I can think of one word off the top of my head. I certainly hope it keeps going but I have my doubts at times when I see how things are going. I don't necessarily think it is any problem we created but more that things have changed so much recently with the internet and kids are just different now. Youngsters aren't clamoring to be around horses like they used to be. Now they want to be around cell phones. Maybe the word for me is Terrific, because it is the one sport, as opposed to Thoroughbred racing, where you can breed, own, train and drive your own horse. You can't do that in any other sport. Look, I'm a 75-year-old woman with an 89-year-old husband and we are breeding, training and driving our own horses.

What was your best moment in harness racing?

Winning the Yonkers Trot with Goalfish [2000]. What sticks out in my mind is that after we got done in the winner's circle and went back to the paddock we got a standing ovation, in Yonkers of all places, where people don't usually give a damn about anything. It was an absolute tear-jerker.

Which is the best horse you've ever trained?

I would've said Goalfish before this year but I really think it is Dandy now. Bearing in mind
that horses are getting faster, it is not just that he has raw speed. This horse is an
unbelievable individual. He went from being a horse that was never supposed to race to having the most desire that I've ever seen in a horse.

Dandy has won three of four PA Sire Stakes races this year. Is it true he was basically a gift?

Yes. Frank and I along with Arden Homestead owned his mother 50/50. Her name was Cocoacabana. She was a very mediocre horse. When we retired her we went with the breeding program. We gave her to Vieux Carre for no bills. We pay just the stud fee and the prep of the yearling but not day-to-day bills. In return all of her foals have to go to the sales. We could buy them back but instead of 50/50, we owned 25/25 and Vieux Carre owned 50%. Her first foal was sold I think to Erv Miller. The second one we bought back, it was a Father Patrick. He was an absolute flop.

Along comes Dandy and I get a call from Vieux Carre. The horse was supposed to be in the Lexington sale and they were giving me the bad news that the horse had epiphysitis, where a youngster is getting too much protein and they grow way too quickly. He had a big lump on his left knee. The way you treat it is to keep them in a stall with no exercise and no protein, just hay for a month or two to stop the growing. He looked awful and still stands terrible but without the growth on his leg. Anyway, I got a call from Tad Egloff who owns Vieux Carre and said if I want the colt he'll give me his half. I told him to send him out and I'll see what I can do. Frank and I just looked at each other when he arrived because he was small, afraid and just awful. We decided to break him and meanwhile Peter Gerry from Arden Homestead asked about him and decided to pass, so we kept him.

He's now a gorgeous animal. He's changed so much and I just think he's thankful he wasn't Amished and pulling a cart somewhere. He's got the life now.

How high are your hopes for him to be a Sire Stakes champion this year?

It will all depend on the draw. I really do think he's as good as anything in there. I've always been ultra-careful with him. Now I've been a little more aggressive and asked him to leave a little in his last start at The Meadows.

You mentioned earlier that you are racing against people who are much younger than you. Do you think you are at a disadvantage against them?

I don't think so. When I first started out I was just a young girl driving against the men and everyone thought I was at a disadvantage, and maybe I was. Now I'm an old woman driving against the boys. I don't think I'm at a disadvantage because you can't pick them up and carry them, that's what Herve [Filion] used to say. In some ways I think I have an edge because they are our horses and I know them. They are the best drivers in the world around here but you have to have the horsepower to win.

How many horses do you and Frank currently have in the barn?

We only have six right now. We always had 10 or 12, maybe 15 at times. The half-dozen seems to work for us. Over the course of the years we've been blessed with prompt-paying owners that have been kind and understanding, and we have two wonderful ones right now.

You mentioned Arden Homestead earlier. Who is the other owner?

Donna Franchetti and her husband. She's a vet and she's an absolute animal lover. They just let us do our thing. Our owners always let us do what is right by the horses. And Arden Homestead, I can't say enough good about them. We've been with them for like 25 years.

In addition to racing you served decades on the board of the SBOA in New Jersey. Why was it important for you to serve?

I always wanted to give the horsemen a voice. I'm not afraid to say what I feel is right. I
think I've made a difference somewhere along the way. If horsemen needed financial help or whatever, I'd like to think I helped them out.

You go by the nickname Lady J. Do you like it?

Yeah, it's ok. Jack Lee came up with that. When Julie Krone was racing at Monmouth she was Lady K, so I think that is where he came up with it. He had a name for everybody. My nearest friends and family, nobody calls me Jacquie, they all call me J.

If you had the power to change one thing in the sport, what would it be?

I'd do away with the use of drugs. Frank and I have been together for 50-something years and we've never had a [drug] positive. I understand people get environmental positives, that can happen, but if only there is a way they can clean up the sport and stop them from what they are doing, and I'm pretty sure they are still doing it. I don't know how or what it is, but it is bad for the sport and even worse for the animals. It's an uphill battle. People who do these things are always one step ahead.

Time for the stretch drive:

Best Horse You Ever Saw: Googoo Gaagaa. He was an outstanding-looking individual.

Best Driver Ever: Herve Filion.

Lasix -- Yes or No?: It is a necessary evil.

Favorite TV Show?: Jeopardy.

Trotters or Pacers?: Trotters. I'd like to think that you still need a little skill to train a trotter but in reality they come out trotting now.