by Charlene Sharpe, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Charlene Sharpe

Harrington, DE — Delaware horsewoman Jeanmarie Kurowski spent the summer living a dream.

No she didn’t win the Hambletonian or train any record-setting Standardbreds. She spent the summer racing at Ocean Downs.

While it might not be the lofty aspiration of most horsemen, for Kurowski, a newcomer to the sport, it was exactly what she’d hoped for.

“If it weren’t for Ocean Downs I wouldn’t be in this at all,” said Kurowski, who makes a living as a math teacher.

Jeanmarie Kurowski spent her summer at Ocean Downs.

Kurowski, who spent years showing hunters and jumpers, was first exposed to harness racing years ago on a trip to the Meadowlands. In spite of her interest in horses, Kurowski was turned off by what she considered the cold environment of the New Jersey track.

She gave little thought to racing after that until a stop at Ocean Downs a few years ago while she was on vacation. The excitement and friendliness of the fans around the ocean oval came as a pleasant surprise.

“They really welcomed me,” she said.

One of the people she met on that trip was Harrington horseman Frank Chick. He invited Kurowski to visit his barn. Although she was living in Massachusetts at the time, Kurowski was quick to take him up on his offer and was soon driving down on weekends to help Chick in his barn. Stall cleaning eventually led to jogging.

“I fell in love with the sport,” Kurowski said.

Sand Montana won in 1:57.1 on July 18 at Ocean Downs.

She started helping other trainers as well when she could and upon moving to Delaware purchased her own horse, Sand Montana, in February 2011. After spending the spring jogging the mare, Kurowski’s friends told her she should take her to the nearby farm of George Teague for a fast training mile. She didn’t realize they’d expected her to use a horse trailer.

“I actually drove her down the road to George Teague’s,” Kurowski said, laughing.

She got her mare qualified in time for Ocean Downs’ 2011 meet, however.

“I thought my dream came true; I’m going to Ocean Downs,” Kurowski said.

Although Sand Montana did not win any races at the Berlin half-miler last year, Kurowski had enough fun taking her to the track that she got her trainer’s license and purchased another racehorse for 2012.

This summer she had the time of her life racing Olive Juice and Sand Montana at the ocean oval. While both mares had some success, the high point of the summer was Sand Montana’s 1:57.1 win on July 18. Nearly two months later, Kurowski can still provide anyone who’s interested an exact play-by-play of the race.

“There was a storm off in the distance all night long,” Kurowski starts. “She went off at 22-1.”

Charlene Sharpe photos

Jeanmarie Kurowski and her 5-year-old pacing mare, Sand Montana.

The mare, driven that night by Tony Morgan, got off in the two hole and was shuffled back to third for most of the mile. Morgan pulled her into the passing lane at the head of the stretch and got up to win by a neck in 1:57.1, just one-fifth of a second off Sand Montana’s lifetime mark.

Kurowski said she’s loved getting to enjoy racing at the track that prompted her initial interest in the sport.

“There’s something unique about Ocean Downs,” she said. “I live in Harrington, my barn’s in Harrington, but I race at Ocean Downs.”

It’s hard to see where Kurowski finds the time to race. When she’s not teaching math at Milford Christian School, she waitresses at Dover Downs. She tries to share her interest in the sport with others as well.

“At school I’m always bringing in programs,” she said. “My kids learn how to do fractions and percentages that way.”

Although this year’s Ocean Downs meet has come to an end, Kurowski plans to continue racing her horses at Rosecroft Raceway. She will also be busy working with yearling Cam’s Blue Belle, a Cams Fortune daughter of Red Light N Blue, and looking forward to next summer at the ocean oval.

“This is what it’s supposed to be like,” she said, gesturing to the easy going crowd of horsemen in the Ocean Downs paddock. “I love it here.”