Following a season in which she attained her 100th career training victory, Charles Town trainer Kristy Gazzier is enjoying a banner start to the 2025 campaign.

Gazzier already has six wins – she had eight last year – and her runners have earned over $126,000, about 60% of her 2024 total. Two recent scores have come from Hammer in two-turn allowance events, and two other runners have scored in maiden special weight events.

Gazzier’s mother Rebecca Gazzier booted home 90 winners as a jockey at Charles Town and recorded her last victory aboard Owney on November 11, 2000 for owner-trainer John Dillow. Now a new generation has arrived.

Gazzier welcomed her first daughter, Grace, just under two years ago and has since adapted to juggling horses and motherhood. Through March 13, Gazzier boasts six winners, six runner-ups and three third-place runners from 22 starters.

Hammer kicked off his season with a loss in a claiming race at Laurel Park, but he was just a neck from third and less than three lengths from the winner. It was his first start in about six months.

“When he [ran well] at Laurel on that deep track [in January], I knew he was going to be okay,” said Gazzier, who never considered following in the footsteps of her mother as a rider. “He came back here and won an allowance race last month then he won again the other night.”

Off as the modest 5-2 third choice in a two-turn allowance/optional $25,000 claiming race March 6 with Marshall Mendez aboard, Hammer broke alertly to sit just outside of Restless through the clubhouse turn and down the backside. He surged to command turning for home then held safe the late, inside bid of 5-2 second choice Play It Loud to win by three parts of a length while stopping the timer in 1:20.13 for the 6 1/2 furlongs.

Millionaire Muad’dib, the 8-5 favorite, settled for fourth. 

When Hammer surged to command at the top of the lane, Restless was steadied and checked and then backed through the field. That prompted a lengthy inquiry that included a foul claim from jockey Christian Maldonado, aboard Restless, against Hammer.

Gazzier, Mendez and owner David Porto waited out the inquiry in the winners’ circle after having their picture taken and then breathed a sigh of relief 10 minutes later when Maldonado’s objection was dismissed and the race was made official. It was the second win in three starts this year for Hammer, who now owns a 4-2-4 slate and nearly $100,000 banked from 13 career outings.

“I didn’t think he really did much [to cause a foul],” Gazzier said. “It took a while for the stewards to make a decision, but I really wasn’t that worried.”

One night later Ghostly Leo (Denis Araujo) finished a solid second as the 3-2 favorite in a two-turn allowance for West Virginia-breds when he rallied from midpack but was unable to overtake 22-1 longshot Toodleswasmyname (Larry Reynolds) who prevailed in 1:21.84 for the 6 1/2 furlongs. A four-year-old Gattorpardo gelding trained by Gazzier for owner Cristina Mosby, Ghostly Leo had graduated against maiden special weight company in his previous start one month earlier in his 11th overall outing and delivered a good performance when second while facing winners for the first time.

Earlier this month, Corri Felice finished an unlucky, troubled second in a two-turn allowance for fillies and mares for Gazzier and owner Robert Snyder. A New York-bred, five-year-old daughter of Runhappy who had made her first 10 starts at tracks in Kentucky and New York, Corri Felice graduated in her local debut for Gazzier against maiden special weight foes and has been second twice in each of her two subsequent tries facing winners.

“She’s really a nice mare,” Gazzier said of Corri Felice. “She’s run well for me all three times since I got her here. She won the first race I had her and then she’s raced well in the allowance races. She just had a little trouble on the first turn and she raced really wide going into the far turn. But she hung in there. I’m happy with her. I think she’s going to keep doing well here.”

Hammer, meanwhile, is one win away from becoming Gazzier’s richest runner. Porto bought the Kantharos gelding out of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic two-year-old sale in 2023 for just $12,000. So far he’s earned just shy of $100,000 for Porto and Gazzier.

“I’m hoping to find another allowance race here for him going 6 1/2 or seven furlongs,” Gazzier said. “He’s doing really good right now. He’s just a big, happy horse… David Porto has had horses with me since 2021 and he’s done pretty good. He’s also more of a family friend. It seems like every owner that I have is almost part of the family.”