News
Adams Records First Training Win
Visitors at Hoosier Park Racing and Casino Sunday, Sept. 9 may not have realized that the young red-haired girl saddling a big bay was actually Hoosier Park’s youngest Thoroughbred trainer. Janey Adams is only 19-years-old and is moving into the racing world at a fast speed. Her horse Muddy Fork won for Adams, marking her first career win as a Thoroughbred trainer.
Adams hasn’t been in the Thoroughbred racing world her whole life. When she was six-years-old, she was given her first horse by a family friend.
“Spirit was the name of my first horse I ever had,” said Adams. “Spirit and I ran barrels and other contesting classes at open and 4-H horse shows all around the state.”
Adams started her horse career as a 4-H member in Putnam County, Indiana. While she was in 4-H, she participated in a variety of classes that were offered but she and Spirit excelled in the contesting classes. It wasn’t until her middle school years that she began to research the Thoroughbred horse racing industry.
“I started to watch HRTV and learn the different racing styles,” said Adams. “I just became more and more interested in it as I watched.”
Adams’ parents, Jim and Nancy Adams, bought her a Thoroughbred named Be Gone and she was given one chance to make a racehorse out of him. If she could turn Be Gone into a racehorse, then they would help support her through her racing career.
Now a resident of Kokomo, Ind., Adams has worked up to owning and training seven Thoroughbreds on her own. She started her first Thoroughbred season at Indiana Downs and is now on her second season here at Hoosier Park.
“I didn’t have a very smooth first season,” said Adams. “There were a lot of bumps and problems that I ran into. This meet at Hoosier Park is going much better than my first. This horse (Muddy Fork) is something special and she is my first real project. I have put a lot of time and hard work into getting her to where she is now.”
Adams had Diego Rodriguez ride Muddy Fork in the race. Rodriguez has been working the horse in the mornings and rode the four-year-old daughter of Best of Luck to a second place finish earlier in the meet.
“I really like the way Diego rides,” said Adams. “He always treats my horses with respect and comes to the barn in the early morning to help ride and learn how the horses work.”
Rodriguez broke well from post five and got the early lead secured with Muddy Fork. He maintained positioning near the front for the entire one-mile distance as the post time favorite in the race, winning by one and three-quarter lengths at the finish over Mrs. T and Gabriel Lagunes. Muddy Fork was greeted by the entire Adams’ family, including Adams’ younger sister, Marie, who also enjoys being around the horses.
“This horse (Muddy Fork) is really nice and she works really well for me,” said Rodriguez, who is competing in his first year at Hoosier Park. “Janey has put a lot of work into this horse. She is just a really hard worker. She knows what she is doing and works as hard as she can to get the horses there.”
Adams may only be 19 years-old but she is a trainer to watch.
“I’m exactly what horse racing needs,” said Adams. “I am proud to be where I am today and it’s my age group that is the future of horse racing. I can't see myself doing anything but this. It's my life. I want to have big horses one day, stakes horses.”
