How is a Standardbred racehorse like a court stenographer? This isn't the start of a joke with a funny punch line; it's the focus of a recent magazine article.
Named for the profession that produces transcriptions of court proceedings using shorthand writing, three-year-old stakes-winning pacing filly Odds On Steno was featured in an article in the Journal of Court Reporting Magazine.
Odds On Steno with her connections, including Jan Fuller (second from left) and Sara Clark (second from right).
The Bettors Wish-Odds On St Lucie filly's connection to stenography goes through co-owner/breeder Dana Parham of Odds On Racing. Parham's girlfriend, Jan Fuller, is a retired stenographer with a career spanning 33 years and her niece, Sara Clark, a freelance courter reporter, suggested the name in a passing conversation as an opportunity to honour and promote their vocation.
Odds On Steno accumulated four wins and five seconds from 11 starts in her two-year-old season last year, earning $133,750 for Odds On Racing and Let It Ride Stables. She capped off her debut campaign with a personal best 1:52.2 victory in the New Jersey Home Grown Pace at The Meadowlands (pictured above).
"As the racing season unfolded, the excitement grew," wrote Clark in the JRC Magazine. "Jan faithfully sent me weekly links to watch Steno’s races online, and I couldn’t wait to share them with my fellow reporter friends. We were giddy with excitement to be a part of this incredible opportunity. You can’t help but smile when you hear the announcer saying things like, 'Here comes Odds On Steno down the backstretch!' and 'Odds On Steno scootin’ through the inside!' and 'Odds on Steno with a brilliant sprint for the win!' And those are actual quotes from some of her races."
All the while, the Standardbred filly has displayed similar qualities of a stenographer: speed and unwavering concentration.
(With files from JRC Magazine)