by Evan Pattak, for the Meadows

Washington, PA — I’m Justa Lady, one of the all-time great trotting mares at The Meadows, who combined talent and tenacity in a career that brought her 73 wins and nearly $700,000 in earnings, has been retired due to injury.

Chris Gooden photo

In her brilliant career, I’m Just Lady won 73 races and earned $697,986.

Bill Daumit, who has trained the 10-year-old daughter of Inquirer-Quite Becoming since acquiring her at auction at 3, said she suffered a broken splint bone behind. While the condition is not life threatening, he said he and owners Janet Collins and Patricia Daumit jointly decided retirement was the best option.

“They can go with a broken splint bone, so we don’t know when she did it,” he said. “She might have aggravated it recently, but the X-ray confirmed it. We could have removed the bone or let it heal on its own, but we decided to retire her at a good time.

“We could have brought her back at 11, but she would have been racing against 3- and 4-year-olds again next year. Something else would blow out, and none of us wanted to be the one at the track when they brought out the ambulance — or worse — for her.”

The fast and durable mare had a record of 73-43-23 in 243 lifetime starts, good for a bankroll of $697,986. She earned most of that in The Meadows’ top filly and mare trots with Tony Hall, her regular pilot, in the sulky.

Among her accomplishments:

• Over her final eight racing seasons, she never won fewer than five races in a year, topping out with 17 in 2006.
• During that same period, she never won less than $44,745 in any year, earning $131,015 in 2008, her richest season.
• She took her mark of 1:54.4 as a 5-year-old. Nothing unusual there. But she matched it this year at age 10, and that is extraordinary.

“Her biggest strength is she just refuses to lose,” Daumit said. “She’s the most versatile horse I’ve ever been around — no weaknesses. She knows how to win races.

“She’s meant so much to me. When we made the decision, I went outside and cried like a baby. But I think she meant even more to Janet. It was her first Standardbred, and she always says I’m Justa Lady brought her into contact with so many nice people. Janet calls the experience ‘life-changing.’”

He indicated I’m Justa Lady will be bred, with Donato Hanover a candidate for stallion service.