The Colonel's Lady
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“Beautiful horse. My dad got him as a two year old. I was four years old then. I loved him. I had been getting on horses for a couple of years already by that time. My mom actually carried me in the saddle when I was two! But Colonel Hill was my first love.
“He won his first start, a stake race, then finished second in the Maryland Juvenile. We lost him at age three, and then my dad claimed him back. I was so happy.
“When my dad retired him, he became my first show horse. We retrained him to compete in dressage. I just felt this special bond with him. He was my guy.”
Undoubtedly, with as many horses as she was around in her youth, Maggie Wolfendale would’ve fallen in love with one at some point. Her father, highly regarded long-time Maryland trainer Howard Wolfendale, made certain that his daughter was exposed to the sport early and often during her upbringing. During the 90’s - as Maggie came of age - her father maintained a pretty large string. Any one of them could’ve conceivably captured Maggie’s heart.
The fact is, though, that Colonel Hill was the one. And that makes the gelded son of Temperance Hill’s contribution to racing far greater than the modest earnings he amassed on the track in his 55 lifetime starts.
*****
Still, spend just a few minutes in conversation with her, and you will find it most difficult to think of her as anything but “girl.” The almost angelic golden blonde locks suggest a child-like innocence. So too does the wondrous gaze that she seems to constantly wear upon her face. Looking at her, you get the sense that she’s never seen an R-rated movie.
In addition to this appearance, she possesses an easy-going persona. It feels like she came from a place that was hundreds of miles away from anywhere (even though, in actuality, she grew up not too far from Baltimore). You could be conversing with her in the middle of Times Square, and her speech and manner would make it seem like you were on your way to muck a stall somewhere.
Further, it is, perhaps, not altogether coincidental that Jaimy Gordon chose to bestow the name Maggie upon the female protagonist of her National Book Award winning “Lord of Misrule.” The name itself evokes images of the backside.
So she’s got the look, the temperament, and even the name. Soon after you meet her, you find out that she’s got the story too.
“For me, horse racing is not just a job or a hobby - but a lifestyle,” Maggie wrote on the Facebook wall of “Thoroughbred Racing in New York,” an internet community of race fans who honored her earlier this year. “I am a third-generation horsewoman. My paternal grandfather owned horses at Waterford Park, otherwise known as Mountaineer Park in Wheeling, WV. My dad and all of his siblings rode show horses (well, my dad only made it to leadline, he's never been much of a rider) and all of them are or have been trainers.
“My maternal grandfather grew up riding show horses, and from there occupied almost every job at the racetrack- from trainer to jock's agent, to clerk of scales to entry clerk. My mom rode hunter/jumpers and started galloping race horses for my grandfather when she was 14. So, it was only fate when my parents met, when they were 18 and 19 years old, at Penn National.
Clearly, Maggie Wolfendale becoming a horsewoman was just a matter of time. Colonel Hill merely sped up the process.
Heaven forbid the word “nepotism” seep into your brain when you think about Maggie’s instant success on the racing scene. Make absolutely no mistake, Maggie has worked - and continues to work - extremely hard for that success. When asked, it takes her a
moment to recall when she last took a day off.
“Christmas, I think. Actually, I did go out Christmas morning. My family’s barn. Could’ve been November, maybe.”
She doesn’t keep track anymore. The days just seem to blend into one another. In addition to the five days a week she spends as the paddock reporter, she gallops horses every morning on the Belmont training track.
Throw in a once a week turn on the NYRA Network’s six hour dark day marathon
broadcast, and it’s a small wonder that she hasn’t yet found herself fatigued.
“I don’t even think about it. Ever since I was little, I just always went out in the mornings. I love it. I don’t consider it work.”
It is this intense work ethic, along with an innate horse sense, that has impressed both the fans, and her colleagues alike.
“Maggie's obviously very knowledgeable in the body language of horses,” notes Ernie
Munick, who teams with Maggie on the NYRA Network dark day telecasts. “But she's first and foremost an animal lover; you can tell by her comments off- and on the air that she adores these animals.”
Even Maggie’s upcoming vacation from NYRA will take her to a racetrack. She returns to Pimlico, the track of her youth, to take in the Preakness Stakes. A former Miss Preakness (2008), Maggie can’t wait to go back to watch Animal Kingdom attempt to capture the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.
"This year will be yet a new way I have enjoyed the Preakness. Since I have spent the
winter in New York, I have seen a lot of these horses in ther preps and I am much more familiar with the starters, as well as the horses on the undercard.
One horse she’s more familiar with than the others is Bold Affair, who will be saddled by her father in Friday’s Miss Preakness. Bold Affair, a three year old daughter of Two Punch, won her first two starts with relative ease over the Pimlico oval. Maggie affectionately refers to the filly as “Big Bird,” a nod to her stout 17-hand presence.
But win or lose for Bold Affair - Maggie Wolfendale’s 2011 Preakness sojourn will almost certainly be a success.
“No matter what, Maryland and Pimlico are my home, and it always feels good to come home."
*****
"Colonel was with me for my entire youth and I cherish so many memories that revolve around him. From a young talented race horse that brought my family so much excitement, to my partner in the show ring where we learned and grew together as horse and rider. I will cherish our friendship and what he taught me about horses forever."
Gone, but most definitely not forgotten by the young woman who has dedicated her life to the majestic animals.
Through Maggie, the Colonel’s legacy endures.
Photos Courtesy of Maggie Wolfendale, and Adam Coglianese/NYRA
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