Trainer Lynn Chleborad

Born: 1/30/55, Fremont, Nebraska  Resides: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma  Family: Unmarried

Chleborad is coming off her best year as a trainer. In 2007 she raced at Oaklawn, Prairie Meadows and Remington.

“It was a dream year for our barn,” she reflected. “A lot of pieces fell into place, several of our horses came into their own, we had a couple of stakes winners and our Arkansas-bred, Kippersol, continued winning.”

She brought 35 head to Oaklawn for 2008.

“I put in for 65 stalls, although I knew I couldn’t get that many,” she said.

Chelborad wants to keep her stable in the Midwest because so many of her owners live in this region.

Her public stable is always a force at Oaklawn. Last year, she took part in 87 races, finishing the meeting with six winners, nine seconds and 11 thirds.

“In the summer we carry a lot of horses because by then we will have picked up our Iowa-breds,” she said.

Fans have learned that backing a Chleborad horse can be rewarding.

She showed up as an unknown at Oaklawn in 1997 and her personal parade of upset winners began - Texas Serenade ($67.80), Ethyl Lena ($43), Mel's Dancer ($24.20) and ($18). Then she hit them with Raging Sequel ($127.80).

"Horses, I always loved them," laughed Chleborad. "As a youngster, I was Ak-Sar-Ben's junior rodeo queen. Later, I majored in accounting at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. But, I knew I couldn't sit still long enough to work in an office, so I started showing horses."

Moving on to thoroughbreds, she groomed and galloped in Nebraska and, in 1987, got her first trainer's license.

“Herb Riecken really helped me when I was getting started,” she said. “He really stressed the condition book. He’d hand me a condition book then give me a hypothetical horse and conditions and asked me to find a race for it. We’d be moving horses from say Fremont to Omaha and that’s how we’d pass away the miles.”

Lynn's name isn't among racing's easiest to pronounce. "It is German," she noted. "We pronounce it 'Cleber Add.'"

She was asked to name the all time favorites among horses she's trained.

"Beat The Stats. He was an outlaw, so we were able to buy him for $700. He went on to win stakes and earn around $150, 000," she remembered, adding: "Bamity Boom, Trofast and Title's Reward were some other stakes winner's I've had. Don't forget Funky Frank. I won the Marion H. Van Berg Stakes twice - with Beat The Stats and Title's Reward. As I say, Beat The Stats is my career favorite

right now, but Big Daddy Tee and Taco Tuesday aren’t far behind."

“I loved Fort Metfield,” she included. “His glory days had passed when I got him and people warned me that he’d not make it back. But he did. I guess my widest smile in any winner’s circle picture was with Fort Metfield the day he won his 20th race and surpassed $400,000 in career earnings,” remembered Chleborad.

Discussing the large number of claims at Oaklawn each meeting, Chleborad was quick to answer, “I think claiming is good for racing. When you are competing, you needing to steadily turn over your horses.”

She had seven head claimed here one year, and six in another year.

“It kind of got to me because I was permitting too many of my horses to become personal favorites. No longer do I let myself do that. Now, the only horses in the barn I fall in love with is my stable pony. I have an outstanding stable pony. His name is Cadillac.”