Meet Erica Harris, the 2015 Tim Reynolds Memorial Fan of the Year

Let’s face it, you just have more fun at the racetrack when you are in the company of other people having a great time. Anyone who has ever spent time, even briefly, at the races with Erica Harris, knows this to be truth. With a never dimming smile, and armed with a childlike enthusiasm, the girl from Nebraska knows how to have a good time at the races -- and it is infectious. Because of this, more than any other reason, I am thrilled to introduce to you Horse Racing Nation’s 2015 Tim Reynolds Memorial Fan of the Year, Erica Harris.

Taken to the races at Centennial Race Track during the first 24 hours of her life, you could say that Erica was destined to be more than your average fan. Her dad not only loved the track, but he owned a few racehorses, as well. It should be no wonder that Erica quickly followed suit, and started riding horses when she was only 3. She had her own horse a few years later, and and has been happily riding ever since.

Early on, Erica spent a lot of time at Ak-Sar-Ben in her home state of Nebraska, and admits to missing more than one day of school to be at the local track with her parents. Sadly, her dad, who she recalls as a very good handicapper, and loving every minute of it, passed away while Erica was still young. The tradition of having a great time at the racetrack, would not be halted with the passing of her father.

Her dad passed away in 1993, and Ak-Sar-Ben closed its doors for live racing two years later, but, Erica would not let her passion for horse racing die. She still tried to go to other local tracks when possible, but it’s when she fell in love with a race horse, and knew that she had to have him, that her connection to horse racing grew to new levels.

The future Fan of the Year followed him while he raced for the next couple of years, and until his retirement. Once retired from his racing career, she was able to buy him, and that is how Erica Harris owned her first OTTB. Before ending up in Nebraska, one of her horses, At a Boy Russ, raced at Del Mar and Santa Anita, where he was ridden by Victor Espinoza. She takes great pride in the fact that a Triple Crown winning rider rode him and won, before he was injured in the California Cup Juvenile.

Erica started serious traveling to follow racing and the big races in 2007, and fell in love even more. She was excited to tell me that the 2016 Kentucky Derby will be her tenth Run for the Roses. Each year, she proudly does General Admission, for an afternoon with thousands of close friends in the paddock. The Churchill Downs paddock was actually the place where I first met Erica.

While talking handicapping, one person in our group, Ernie Munick, stopped what he was doing to pull out his camera to get video footage for the Breeders’ Cup. Once I turned around, I could see why Ernie needed to get footage of the smiling young lady. Erica was outfitted with a homemade Zenyatta hat that must have been at least two feet tall. Of course, it was a meeting that I would never forget, and I am happy to say that I’ve had the sincere pleasure of seeing Erica at the races regularly, all over the country, ever since.

Each year, Erica continues to travel more for racing, while never forgetting her Nebraska roots, by supporting Nebraska live racing. In 2015, she made it to ten tracks -- from Columbus, in Nebraska, to Saratoga, Keeneland, Gulfstream, and Santa Anita. She admits that her co-workers think that she is a little crazy for all this travel for the horse races, rather than a more typical vacation spot such as Disneyland, but for Erica, horse racing is in her blood.

Erica is truly a fan, but is not a bettor. “I don’t even bet,” she told me. “I enjoy just being at the track, watching the horses getting saddled, the post parade, and then the race. I love how thrilling it is once the horses turn for home and down the stretch they come. I get goosebumps every time and without having any money on the race.”

Having said that, Erica realizes that maybe she should be playing more often. She enjoys picking the races, reading the form, and does quite well. A few years ago, she was all over I’ll Have Another at 15-1 in the 2012 Kentucky Derby. That’s her giving a kiss to her selection before he made history on the first Saturday in May. Erica admitted that she does enjoy playing some Derby superfectas, and hopes to hit a big one sometime soon!

More than anything, Erica enjoys meeting many other racing fans over the years, so many of which have become her dearest friends. “I’m always thankful for the sport that has brought so much joy, fond memories, special friendships, and my own horses into my life,” said Erica. She also loves getting to meet the horses, “They are the superstars!” And yes, she was in attendance when American Pharoah won the Belmont this year. It was the first Triple Crown in her lifetime, and the emotions were high. “I have never hugged and kissed so many strangers,” said Erica. “What a joyous moment to be there, and the roar from the crowd, one of the greatest moments to experience!”

On a closing note, one of Erica’s traditions at the track is to grab a little dirt from the main surface of the racetracks she attends. Don’t tell Churchill Downs or Belmont Park, but she is the proud owner of the earth that American Pharoah ran over on his way to Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes triumphs. Dirt is not the only thing she stores in zip-loc bags, though. Erica also has a little Zenyatta poop as part of her collection. I kid you not, she showed me one Iowa Derby evening at Prairie Meadows.

As you can tell by now, Erica Harris is one of the good ones. For those of us lucky enough to call her a friend, it is always a joy to see her smiling face at the racetrack. For those of you that have not yet met her, do yourself a favor, and congratulate her on being named the Fan of the Year. You probably will end up with a great new racing friend.