On Friday, October 17, Batavia Downs will look back and honour the careers of two longtime female trainers that plied their trade on the western New York circuit for many years.
Mary Ann Sarama-Luce and Brenda Ohol will have races named in their honour and presentations made with their families in the winner’s circle as the local horsemen pay their respects and remember their careers at Batavia.
Mary Ann Sarama-Luce passed away in July of 2011 at 73 years of age after a long battle with leukemia. She was introduced to the business when she met Danny Sarama in the late 1960s, and from that point on the two formed the successful Mardan Stable. Their most memorable performer was the pacer You Devil You, who won 10 races in a row in 1976 while rising from a low claimer to the Open class. In the early 1980s, after separating from Danny, she continued on her own as both a trainer and a driver. Her best year as a driver came in 1983 when she won 21 races.
She ended her driving career in 1990 with 109 wins and $201,435 in earnings. At that point she started training full time and continued to do so until her passing. As a conditioner she sent 107 horses to the winner’s circle whose efforts earned $334,835. Some of the top horses Sarama-Luce trained included Gold Bandit N, Top Dog Alex, Top Dog Nicholas, Easy L Bar and Guy Lee Debbie. After her passing, her son Carl and husband Richard have carried on with her stable.
“Harness racing was her No. 1 priority and passion,” her daughter, Lynette McGiveron, said. “Her horses were the driving force behind her battle to recover. Even in her final days she worried more about her horses than herself.”
McGiveron continued, stating, “a passion of Mary Ann's was to have her mares bred and to raise the foals to race. She named them after her kids and grandchildren and had planned on doing so until every child and grandchild was named. The last foal to be born on her farm was ‘Top Dog Morgan’ named after her grandson. Unfortunately, Mary Ann never got to see it in person. He was born the night she went into the hospital for her final stay.”
Bruce Tubin, president of the Western New York Harness Horsemen's Association, described Mary Ann as “a fierce competitor both as a trainer and a driver.”
After the fifth race, named the Mary Ann Sarama-Luce Memorial Trot, Batavia will remember a great mother, person, horseman and friend to so many in western New York.
Brenda Ohol passed away in August of 2013 after a long battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Ohol was born in Batavia and raised in Akron, New York, and was around horses her entire life. She was always in the barn with her father, Ron Lederhouse, who campaigned his own stable for many years, and then, as an adult, married Mike Ohol, who was an established trainer/driver on the western New York circuit.
During her 22-year training career, she sent 691 winners to post and amassed earnings of $2.85 million. Her most prolific year came in 2009 when she had 1,018 starters with 79 winners, 91 seconds and 122 thirds along with $396,953 in monies won. Some of her best known horses included Little Man Cam, Adelias Prince, Honeybee Hershey, Fundy Breeze, Collier St Bobby and Sunray Kash.
She left a legacy of women in racing behind, as her daughter Courtney and granddaughter Brittney are now currently active full time trainers at Batavia. Ohol’s sister, Lisa Lederhouse, is an accomplished trainer as well.
Bruce Tubin, president of the Western New York Harness Horsemen’s Association, said “Brenda was a hands-on, hardworking trainer who left us way too soon.”
Jim Mulcahy, treasurer of the Western New York Harness Horsemen’s Association, said “Brenda always had a nice stable of horses that were always competitive. She was one of the top female conditioners on this circuit.”
After the seventh race, named the Brenda Ohol Memorial Pace, Batavia will remember the other great mother, person, horsewoman and friend to everyone who raced on the circuit.
Post time for the first race is 6:35 p.m.
(Batavia)