Friendship at center of Hambletonian journey

Fifteen years ago, Lee Eferstein met Marie Ortolan Bar at Lexington’s Red Mile.

Little did they know the encounter would lead to an enduring friendship and bring them on a journey to harness racing’s premier race for 3-year-old trotters, the Hambletonian.

Ortolan Bar trains Cuatro De Julio (Trixton), who starts Saturday’s $1 million Hambletonian at The Meadowlands from post 10 and is 10-1 on the morning line. Eferstein has been with them nearly every step of the way, including twice leaving Kentucky on weeks-long trips to assist with training and racing the colt in New Jersey.

“That’s what friends are for,” Eferstein said. “I promised her I would always be there for her, she just had to ask. Well, here we are, going to the Hambletonian.”

The two women first met when Eferstein was racing a horse named Feys Blitzen Grey, who caught Ortolan Bar’s attention.

“He was flea-bitten gray and she had never seen a horse like him,” Eferstein said. “She came running over. She hardly spoke English, but she was so nice. She wanted to know all about him. That was my introduction to Marie. We hit it off. She is such a kind and giving person.”

Ortolan Bar, who came to the U.S. from France, works for renowned horseman Jean Pierre Dubois. She trained horses in the States before health issues forced her to the sidelines. She has battled a variety of debilitating conditions, from blood disorders to a rare congenital heart defect known as Ebstein’s anomaly, and nearly died on multiple occasions.

Despite her health, Ortolan Bar continued to work at Dubois’ breeding farm in Kentucky, where Cuatro De Julio was born.

“I cannot be without the horses,” Ortolan Bar said. “My life is to be around them.”

When asked what Eferstein’s friendship means to her, Ortolan Bar responded with one word.

“Everything,” she said. “That is the best answer. She was the one that helped me in America a long time ago, when all I knew how to say was ‘my name is Marie, give me the food, give me the drink.’ She taught me English, she taught me a lot.

“I stress too much, and she makes me quiet. I love when Lee comes with me because I feel more relaxed. I can do everything alone, but it is difficult. She gives me confidence.”

It was Eferstein who helped give Ortolan Bar the confidence to get her trainer’s license again and train Cuatro De Julio.

“When she started Cuatro as a yearling, Marie asked me to bring a horse she had given me, Alfredo Dream, to the farm so (Cuatro) would have somebody to jog with,” Eferstein said. “She had Cuatro, and I had Alfredo. She said, ‘Lee, I want to do this.’ I have the utmost respect for her. I said, ‘Why can’t you? Did you forget?’ Little by little she got her confidence up.”

Ortolan Bar drove Cuatro De Julio in his first race, which came on the Kentucky fairs circuit, but the colt proved to be a handful, so she turned to Eferstein’s husband Al to take over in the sulky.

Al, who also had worked with the horse previously, won seven races in a row, including the Kentucky Fair final for 2-year-old male trotters.

“Here he is, a horse that’s going to be in the Hambletonian, that started at the Kentucky fairs with the three of us,” Eferstein said. “We made some adjustments with Cuatro, and Judi and Henry Lunsford also were very helpful, but most of the credit goes to Marie. Her training, all that she learned in France, her conditioning for this horse was just amazing.

“The rest is history, I guess.”

Eferstein and Ortolan Bar have spent the past several weeks in New Jersey, racing Cuatro De Julio and preparing for the Hambletonian. The most difficult part of the trip for Eferstein has been trying to keep up with her training partner.

“Even at my age, I’ve always felt like I’m pretty tough,” said the 69-year-old Eferstein, who began working in harness racing as a teenager at The Meadows and was a caretaker for 1973 Hambletonian Oaks participant Ah

So. “But I’m here to tell you, she can work circles around me. I’m tired trying to keep up with her for the last four weeks. I do the best I can.

“I can work 15 hours a day at my pace,” she added with a laugh. “You might get six out of me at her pace.”

On Saturday afternoon, Eferstein and Ortolan Bar will watch the results of their work as Cuatro De Julio competes in the Hambletonian. The colt enters the race with 10 wins in 19 lifetime starts and $226,753 in purses. Lucas Wallin is the driver.

“The only regret is that Al has to stay home and take care of our horses,” Eferstein said. “He’s OK about it and brings all our friends to the Red Mile to watch Cuatro race on TV. They’ll all be there on Hambletonian Day, watching and rooting us on.

“For me to be here, I really haven’t had a chance to think about it. I know how much this means to Marie. So as her friend, I’m excited for her. This is her time, not mine.”

The Hambletonian and $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks for 3-year-old female trotters will air live from 5:30-6:30 p.m. (EDT) on CBS Sports Network. First-race post time on Hambletonian Day’s stakes-filled card is noon.

The Big M and TrackMaster have teamed to regularly provide free past performances for each race card. Past performances can be found here.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA