by Charlene Polk, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Ft. Washington, MD — A little rest and relaxation can go a long way.

After a few months out in the field, 5-year-old mare Art’s Pretty Lady is now five-for-five this year at Rosecroft. So far she’s made $9,000 — last year, it took her 13 starts to reach the same earnings mark.

“The biggest thing is she was stabled at the track last year,” said trainer Connie Kamit, “and she was so worked up. She was nervous and didn’t have a chance to relax.”

Since last fall, Art’s Pretty Lady has been training at the Pennsylvania farm of Philip Moore, whose wife Susan Chytla owns the mare with Kamit’s husband Nicholas. Moore, who bought Art’s Pretty Lady as part of a package deal last summer, works with Connie Kamit to condition the pacer. He said the key to her current success was simply turning her out in the field for a few months and then starting back slowly with her.

“She had some time off and put some weight on,” Moore said.

When Moore and Kamit put the mare back in training they made sure to continue turning her out for a few hours each day.

“Everybody asks what we did to get her to race so well,” Kamit said, “but we just turned her out. People say ‘you’ve had to be doing something else,’ but we’re just jogging her easy to make sure she stays happy.”

Moore added that the mare wasn’t on an especially strenuous racing schedule either.

“I don’t believe in pounding horses, especially fillies, every week,” he said. “I race her two or three weeks and then give her a week off. It’s better for them, they don’t sore up as much.”

His method appears to be working, as the mare is undefeated this year, easily coming by victories on Feb. 1, Feb. 8, Feb. 29, March 7 and March 14 with Rosecroft’s leading driver Frank Milby in the bike. Her most recent win in 1:54 in the Filly and Mare Open gave her a new lifetime mark.

Kamit says the Arturo-Prefrin mare knows when she arrives at the track on race night.

“She’s a nice horse to mess with at the farm,” said Kamit, who’s been training horses for about eight years. “But as soon as she gets off the trailer at the track she changes. You’ve got to watch her because she’s going to kick and bite.”

It’s quite a difference for the mare, who Moore says enjoys caring for her ‘pet’ cat at the farm.

“She’s got a gray barn cat she takes care of,” he said.

Moore, who makes a living selling propane, says the mare has already done much more than he expected she would. In spite of her early success this year, Art’s Pretty Lady’s connections haven’t made a lot of plans for the coming months.

“We’re just taking one week at a time,” Moore said.

Although there have been offers from prospective buyers, he said there were no plans to sell the mare at the moment.

“We’re not hurting for money,” he said, “so we’re just going to race her and have fun with her.”

Kamit plans to race Art’s Pretty Lady a few more starts at Rosecroft until Harrah’s Chester opens.