“I know I’m going to make mistakes. It’s inevitable. The guys I’m racing against drive more races in a month than I’ve driven in my whole life and they still make mistakes, so of course I’m going to make some."
Jim Marshall IV and two-year-old female trotter Womens Lib are learning together, with the racetrack serving as classroom. Driver and horse look to continue their educations Tuesday (Aug. 22) when they compete in a division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at The Meadows in western Pennsylvania.
Marshall, the 32-year-old son of driver Jim Marshall III and trainer Donna Marshall, is a regular on the amateur driving circuits, where he has recorded nine of his 12 lifetime victories. But Marshall’s three most recent starts have been with Womens Lib, a horse he co-owns with Arden Homestead Stable, and he dreams of graduating to the Grand Circuit winner’s circle in the future.
“I feel like I’m learning something every time we race,” said Marshall, who has guided Women’s Lib to one win in three starts. “I know I’m going to make mistakes. It’s inevitable. The guys I’m racing against drive more races in a month than I’ve driven in my whole life and they still make mistakes, so of course I’m going to make some.
“As long as I can learn something from it and be a little more confident going to the next one, then I think it was worth it. That experience out there is priceless, for both of us.”
Womens Lib is a daughter of stallion Muscle Massive out of the mare New Day and her family includes 1997 Hambletonian Oaks winner Must Be Victory. Womens Lib, bred by Arden Homestead Stable and Vieux Carre Farms, sold for $21,000 at last year’s Standardbred Horse Sale.
Marshall, who served in the Navy as an aviation electrician before turning his attention to harness racing, was hoping the filly would be ready to qualify in June at Gaitway Farm, where the Marshall family’s training stable is based, but Womens Lib suffered a cut to her left hind heel and was out of action for three weeks.
She ended up qualifying on July 11 at Harrah’s Philadelphia, where she won in 2:02.1. Six days later, she won her debut in 1:58.4 in a division of the Pennsylvania Stallion Series at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
“I was excited for the (Gaitway) qualifiers to come so we could show her off a little bit,” Marshall said. “It was totally disappointing. You never know what’s going to happen. You have to take it literally one day at a time.
“But maybe someone was telling us to check the brakes a little bit. All you can do is look for the silver lining. She was a finicky eater and she was starting to look like she was losing a little bit of weight, so maybe that time off was for the best.”
Womens Lib went off stride in her elimination for the Jim Doherty Memorial Stakes, but following equipment adjustments to help her relax she rebounded with a fifth-place finish in a division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Aug. 10. She was beaten by only 1-1/4 lengths and timed in 1:55.3.
“There are some things that I would have done differently in hindsight,” Marshall said. “But she raced awesome. I was super thrilled with the effort she put in. She definitely did her job.”
In addition to the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes, Womens Lib is eligible to the Liberty Bell in September at Philly and the Breeders Crown in October at Hoosier Park.
“I’m thrilled to have her,” Marshall said. “It couldn’t have worked out any better, especially to have partners like Peter Gerry and his brother (Ebby, the principals of Arden Homestead).
“She’s been a pleasure to have.”
Marshall and Womens Lib will start from post No. 3 in the third of three Pennsylvania Sire Stakes divisions Tuesday at The Meadows. Racing begins at 1:05 p.m.
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.