Passion for horses rewards 11-year-old with trip

Kristen Vafiades is only 11 years old, but she’s pretty sure she already has her career path planned out.

“I think I’m going to drive horses, but I also want to be a vet,” said the fifth-grader from Corinth.

After recently returning from a weekend trip to The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J., she’s even more sure about her chosen profession.

Vafiades was chosen for the all-expenses paid trip to The Meadowlands that involved sightseeing, dinners, lodging and even driving in an actual harness race after taking part in the five-day Harness Horse Youth Foundation camp at Bangor Raceway last month. She was one of 10 children (ages 11-13) who took part in the bi-annual program run by the U.S. Trotting Association.

“They said I took the best care of my horse and I was the most devoted to the horses,” Vafiades said when asked why she was chosen.

Horses have long been synonymous with the Vafiades family. Her father, Steven, is a former harness racing driver who now trains horses, and his grandfather trained racehorses. Vafiades has been helping him take care of horses since she was 5. Ever since she saw a track marshal leading horses onto the track for warm-ups and races, Kristen has been transfixed by horses.

“She’s so passionate about racing. She’s got her future all planned out already,” said Kimberly Vafiades, Kristen’s mother.

Two weekends ago, Vafiades got the ultimate harness racing experience as she spent three days at The Meadowlands Complex. She toured the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in Goshen, N.J., took part in the Hambletonian Parade, and drove a horse with pro driver John Campbell in a non-betting race.

“There were three of us and I finished second,” Vafiades said.

Vafiades also finished second in the youth race held at the end of the five-day camp in Bangor.

In both the camp and her three-day New Jersey trip, Vafiades was able to get plenty of hands-on experience in harness racing-related activities such as grooming, cleaning out stalls, feeding, blacksmithing, exercising the horses, and driving.

“We even went mini-golfing,” Vafiades said. “The best part was driving in the races. The worst was having to carry the water buckets, because they were really heavy.”

Driving was again the highlight in New Jersey, but Vafiades also had fun with a harness racing simulator.

“It was really amazing. In the middle of the race, a horse lost a shoe in front of me and you felt like you got hit,” she said. “We won the simulation race.”

Vafiades will keep helping her dad out by jogging horses as well as helping take care of them, but she’s champing at the bit to start driving and hopes to do so in a couple years.

“I’ll be old enough to go to level III driving soon,” she said. “I’m not sure, but I think when you’re 15 you can drive in matinee non-betting races. I sure hope so!”

Scarborough hosts equestrians

Girls participating in the advanced horsemanship program at Camp Ketcha in Scarborough visited Scarborough Downs recently as part of a field trip.

The girls, ranging in age from 9 to 13, toured the grounds from the barns to the paddock and track. They also talked to veteran harness driver Kevin Switzer and watched two qualifying races.

Dinning bats .400 at Scarborough

Robert Dinning has been making up for lost time after suffering a broken collarbone in a May 19 race.

The 24-year-old Windoe, Ontario, native won four of the 10 races at Scarborough Downs Tuesday. Two of his winning horses came from his own stables. He is only in his third year of racing, but Dinning is driving like a veteran. He’s currently seventh among Scarborough Downs drivers despite making just 170 starts this season. He had 27 wins, 34 second-place finishes, 27 thirds and $87,117 in purse winnings though Tuesday.

Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600 or at aneff@bangordailynews.net