She’s Just Doodlin Along at Los Alamitos

Doodlin stands a queen-sized 16 1/2 hands, but the 5-year-old bay mare is a mere handful in the eyes of her handlers.

That no doubt is because she knows the hands that feed her and tuck her in at bedtime, according to owner Debra Budahn, partner with her husband Gary in the Gusty Stable.

“Doodlin is one of the biggest pacers at Los Alamitos Race Course,” Debra said, “but all of her grooms have been women of small size.”

Becky Lammons is the latest and perhaps smallest of female grooms to provide tender care to the playful and inquisitive Doodlin.

“Becky weighs about 110 pounds, but Boodlin responds to her.”

That may be just what the doctor ordered at a most appropriate time, for Debra and her husband, veterinarian Gary Budahn, already have paid Doodlin’s nomination fee for this year’s Breeders Crown races at Pompano Park in Florida, on Nov. 2. Doodlin raced in this classic last year, finishing sixth in her division.

Debra believes increased competition among mares at the current Los Alamitos winter meeting has sharpened Doodlin’s skills for such gigantic goals.

“I’m glad to see more good mares on the track that have beat her,” Debra said. “We no longer can say ‘just another easy race.’ If we won every week against the girls, which Doodlin always tries to do, we would have to race her against the boys, in the open division.”

With a tidy $330,000 in race winnings in Doodlin’s bankroll, the Budhans often are asked if it isn’t time to turn her into a broodmare.

“We owe it to the sport to race her this year,” Debra said. “If a person keeps taking out good horses to breed them, what does that do for the fans? Certain horses become their favorites, and they like to see them race.”

Ironically, the Budahns may have had doubts about ever seeing Doodlin race. Their hobby of raising and developing harness horses had gotten out of hand, so they decided to reduce their stock. That included oversized Doodlin when she was a yearling.

“My wife and I just wanted a hobby,” Gary recalled, “but, before we knew it, our Gusty Stable had too many horses, so we decided to sell some of them.”

However, nobody made a bid for Doodlin, so the Budahns’ feed bill was stuck on high. Then, she failed her schooling to become a trotter (her sire Rowdy Yankee raced both on the pace and on the trot).

“She trotted,” Debra said, “but she always seemed to do it in one spot.”

Pacing was the next step, and Doodlin took to it like she does sugar cubes.

“Her athletic prowess was born,” Debra said.

Debra, 37, said Doodlin is “just like an Olympic athlete.”

“She has tremendous desire,” she said. “She likes to compete. She listens to the track announcer when she’s in her stall at night. Her ears go back and forth. She seems to be happier at the track rather than being turned out for a long time. She likes the routine of training and getting ready for a race.”

Financially, Doodlin and her dam, Latin Start, have been generous to he Budahns, whose hobby blossomed into a good business.

“We paid $25,00 for Latin Star,” Budahn, 39, said. “She earned $60,000 on the track, so she paid for herself.”

Of course, she also birth to Doodlin, who has been horse of the meet at almost every track she has raced at--and was voted California’s best 3-year-old filly.

“The stud fee for her sire, Rowdy Yankee, was $2,000,” Budahn said. “I’d say we invested $12,000 in Doodlin before she started racing.

“You can definitely say she’s paid for herself. Two standardbred farms back east, Castleton Farms in Kentucky, and Hanover Shoe FArm in Pennsylvania have asked about getting her as a brood mare.”

The Budahns, who live in Rolling Hills with daughters Jenifer, 9, Amy, 4, and son Michael, 3, have been married 18 years.

Debra and Gary were high school sweethearts in Norwood, Minn., where Gary played football and drove harness horses on the Mid-Western fair circuit.

They also attended Gustavus Adolphus College, where the girls were called “Gusties.”

“That’s how we got our name for the Gusty Stable,” Gary said. “Few people outside Minnesota are familiar with Gustavus Adolphus College; maybe Doodlin’s success will put it on the map.”