Harness: Profile of trainer-driver Stacy Chiodo

What kind of car do you drive?

2002 F350.

Favorite dinner meal? Snack?

There is an Italian restaurant near me that makes a Rib Eye topped with crab meat that is delicious. I don't snack, believe it or not.

What is your favorite track to race at? Why?

The Meadowlands because of its prestige and history. I broke 1:50 there and it is in my home base of New Jersey.

What is your favorite big event in racing?

I like watching all of the Grand Circuit races. The best would probably be Hambletonian Day at The Meadowlands. The caliber of horses that are all on one race card is pretty nice.

Have you ever raced on Hambletonian Day?

I actually got to drive Mighty Young Joe in a conditioned race which was like the 15th race on the card after everyone had gone home. But it was still cool.

How often is racing on your mind?

Too often -- 24/7. It is hard to get away from it when you are running your own barn.

What is your favorite thing to do outside of racing?

I own a Quarter Horse and I do barrel racings and trail riding for fun. So it is still horse related.

What is your favorite sport to watch?

It's not my favorite, but I get forced into watching football because of my husband. I probably know more about it and other sports than a lot of people because he is always listening to sports talk radio when we drive to the track.

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

I suffered a stroke when I was 23 and almost died. I'm ok now though.

What is one word that describes harness racing for you?

Exciting.

How did you get started in the sport?

I used to Barrel Race with Laurie Molnar and bought my barrel horse off of her. She owns Crystal Brook Training Center and that is where I kept the horse. It came up that Ross Croghan was looking for a stall cleaner and I was just getting out of high school, so that was my first job in the business. I went from that to being a groom to basically being more hands-on. Then my mom bought me a couple of cheap horses for me to start training with. One was a pretty good Winners-over horse at Freehold and the other was a cheaper claimer. She decided that we would sell the cheaper claimer to get a young horse that would be sounder and believe it or not that is when we picked out Mighty Young Joe.

What is the best advice you've ever gotten about harness racing?

When I first started as a groom with Ross Croghan, when I used to do something he didn't like, he used to tell me "always take pride in your work." That just always stuck with me, so I always try to take pride in what I do.

What was your favorite moment in harness racing?

Breaking the 1:50 barrier with 'Joey' at The Meadowlands. It was my goal I had set for myself and I knew time was ticking away. My husband is from Australia so we watch a lot of the races from there and every year the Miracle Mile would roll around and they were getting really close to breaking 1:50. The fact that there are so many more women drivers out there, I had a feeling that one of them was going to do it first. It was only two or three years later that my record got shattered, because Natalie Rasmussen won the Miracle Mile in (1:) 47 and a piece.

Which is the best horse you've ever trained?

Up until now, Mighty Young Joe. He was a war-horse, week-in and week-out.

You mentioned setting the fastest mile by a woman (1:49 3/5 -- Mighty Young Joe). What did that record and what does that horse mean to you?

It meant the world. He is in my mom's yard and he'll die with us. I just had a connection with him. I go to the house now and he recognizes me and starts calling as soon as I get out of the truck. He always gave me 110% every time he went on the track. I love all of the horses that I have, but my connection with him was just something else.

You have 124 driving wins. Is it possible for a woman to succeed here as a catch-driver?

I hate saying it, but it would be very difficult. My wins just came with horses of my own that I trained. I never really looked into getting catch-drives. I've been very fortunate to train the horses that I have. I probably wouldn't have accomplished anything as a driver if it wasn't for the fact that my mother owned Mighty Young Joe and nobody else was allowed to drive him in her eyes.

Looking at it from a different direction, what is it that keeps women from being catch-drivers?

Absolutely nothing expect people being more open-minded to giving others a chance, but it is hard enough for the guys. When a new guy comes to The Meadowlands, it is all eyes on them. If they don't get live horses in the races and keep getting 20-1 shots from the 10-hole, unless they set the world on fire, people are going to think the driver has no ability when it isn't really their fault.

You have been training some younger horses recently. What is the one stakes race that you really want to win?

I wouldn't mind winning any of them to be honest with you. Everybody wants to win a Breeders Crown. I don't have anything that has been nominated to the Meadowlands Pace and the Little Brown Jug is probably shooting a bit high for me right now, though the prestige around that race is great. I went and watched it one year. It was amazing to be around it with the crowd and the excitement. It made you feel really good that the sport is still alive.

How many horses are in your barn?

15 right now.

Where are you stabled?

Crystal Brook Training Center in Colts Neck, New Jersey.

Is it possible to make a decent living training a small non-stakes stable?

It's a battle. We actually started more of our own horses in the barn. I have one owner who has five in the barn who I've been training his horses for a long time. He has Chaser Hanover and Sweeter Lulu. He buys some nice yearlings and we've gotten pretty lucky the last few years. Can you make money? It is more of a break even and love of the game. Are you going to retire on it? Probably not.

You've won 7 races in 33 starts in 2021 at The Meadowlands, which is more training wins than you accumulated in 146 starts from 2017 to 2020 at the track. What changed?

Believe it or not, quality of horses. The horses that we have and are winning there now, we've had since they were yearlings. Chaser Hanover, the owner paid $85,000 for him as yearling and his streak started in Non-winners of $2,500. Sweeter Lulu, the same thing, her streak started in Non-winners of $2,500. When they dropped back down they both started their streaks again. Shezafreaklikeme is a homebred of mine that didn't race at age 2. I liked her a lot and I just got lucky that when she came back I hit a short field without much competition. For the most part I just have younger horses that have been in the right class.

Why haven't you driven yet in 2021?

I can't. I was rear-ended the week before Christmas. I was standing still and the guy wasn't paying attention and drove about 55 miles an hour straight into the back of me. I just found out last week that I have two herniated disks in my neck which are causing my arms to go tingling-numb and weak, so I can't hold anything. I'm just enjoying being a trainer at the moment.

Do you see yourself returning to the bike in the future?

If the horses stay racing like they are and I am able to return to driving, I'll just take a step back from it. I love educating my young horses. I think that is why Chaser Hanover has turned into the horse he is now. I drove Sweeter Lulu her first handful of starts and I think teaching them to become better racehorses long-term goes a long way rather than trying to win with them first-up.

Do you think having catch-drivers has helped you succeed in 2021?

Absolutely it helps putting the top drivers up. Some of the ones I train who I feel aren't competitive, I almost feel bad putting the top guys up. I don't mind going around the track and getting a fourth or a fifth, but when I use catch-drivers I like putting them on live horses. Now that my barn is going well I'm noticing that some of the drivers are sticking with my horses, which is good because I don't like rotating drivers.

The whole reason I started driving was because I couldn't get the top drivers, and it sounds terrible but a lot of the time some of the people that were left to list, I thought I'd be better off driving myself. I'm not minding being out of the bike at all and I'll address it again if the time comes.

If you could choose any horse in history to train or drive, which horse would it be and why?

Somebeachsomewhere. He just looked like a wicked animal. I was up at The Meadowlands when he raced in the Pace. That race in general, even though he lost, gave you chills up your arms.

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

The post drag. When it is post-time, they should be going to the post. I remember years ago, you would run out to get the bike from the last race and you had just enough time to get to the stall, attach the ear-plugs and they would be calling your race out. Now you can get the bike, dust it off, get a hot dog and you still have 10 minutes before they call your race.

How do you view the future of harness racing?

Not very good. I hate to say that. It worries me with the government wanting to decouple the casinos. It used to make me feel that in New Jersey we were behind the eight-ball by not having the casinos, but having the sports betting right now and seeing it benefit the track, I think maybe we are better off than some of the other states. Pennsylvania is a big scare. I bred a lot of my homebreds to PA sires because they have breeder rewards program, but now with COVID and all the other cuts that have been made, I'm starting to look elsewhere. New Jersey has started to pick up and I'm actually breeding a mare to a Jersey stallion this year.

Time for the stretch drive:

Best Horse You Ever Saw: I was in the Meadowlands paddock one night talking to my friend and he was friends with Clyde Francis. I said to him, you see that horse right here Freddie, pet that horse and remember his name because that is going to be a great horse. It was after Wiggle It Jiggleit's first start at The Meadowlands.

Best Driver Ever: I lean to Ron Pierce. It just seemed like he could get one up to go if they had any ability.

Lasix -- Yes or No?: Yes. I actually have no horses in my barn on Lasix right now, but when they need it, I have no issues. Mighty Young Joe didn't get it until he was 10 years old.

Favorite TV Show?: Grey's Anatomy.

Trotters or Pacers?: Pacers. The couple of trotters I've had I've done well with them, but it isn't something I shoot for because if you get one that is a headache, you want to shoot yourself.