Lisa Knight: Where the Horses Were Waiting

How this groom of Woodbine champions found her true calling ​

There was a time in Lisa Knight’s life when she was immersed in the film and television industry – unaware she was living a story worthy of a Hollywood script.

In her late 20s, despite a successful career, Knight couldn’t shake a persistent feeling of unease and lack of fulfillment. She knew something needed to change – perhaps something drastic – but at the time, she had no idea what that would be.

“I went to school with the intent of working in film and television,” recalled Knight. “I went to college for a year in that program, as well as multimedia. I spent time working on video games and then went to work on a couple of TV shows.”

When her role shifted into something more technical and isolating, Knight began to crave a new path.

“I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life in a cubicle, staring at a computer, which is what my career had been chiseled down to. I was making very good money, but I came to realize you can’t do something you don’t have any joy for.”

After much contemplation and reflection, an unexpected thought came to her.

Why it did, she had no idea.

“I had an inkling that I might like to work with horses. I had never been around them, but it just seemed like it would be cool. I didn’t know how to get into the industry, so I jumped around doing different jobs to pay the bills.”

Then came a chance encounter that changed everything.

“At one of these jobs, someone actually asked me what I wanted to do and I told them. They told me they could get me a job working with horses – it turned out her husband was a jockey agent.”

Not long after that chat, Knight found herself on the expansive Woodbine backstretch, heading to the barn of longtime trainer John MacKenzie.

She drew a deep breath as she walked the shedrow for the first time, taking in the sight of horses peering out from each stall. She was speechless. Somehow, it felt like she was meant to be there.

“I started out like everyone else,” recalled Knight. “I was a hotwalker, but I couldn’t even spell horse back then, as far as knowledge. John taught me from the ground up. I was hooked.”

It wasn’t until a few years into her career that Knight stumbled upon a truth that made everything click — perhaps she hadn’t just chosen the Thoroughbred racing world.

Maybe it had chosen her.

“The funny part was that after doing this for a couple years, I got reunited with my biological family. I was adopted as a baby. My biological family were, as it turns out, trainers and jockeys – both sides of the family. That’s how my parents met. They were galloping horses for their parents down at Calder.

“They were teenagers when I was born – and this was the early 1970s – so it wasn’t a good time for them to be teenage parents. I was adopted by a fantastic family, so I was very fortunate. I have a great relationship with my biological family as well. It was a bit of a surprise to find out the thing I came to was the thing I came from. I never felt I had to question my decision once I found that out.”

And she never has – not for a moment.

Her bond with horses is undeniable.

“I just love this connection I have to horses,” said Knight, who also worked in the barn of Debbie England and her husband, fellow trainer, Phil England. “I always had dogs and cats growing up, but horses are so complex. I love getting to know them, figuring them out and finding what makes them happy. Grooms spend a lot of time with the horses, and they know their personality more than anyone.”

Knight has worked with champions, allowance types, upper-level and lower-level claimers.

To her, they are all equal.

“I was close with Cruden Bay,” she said of the multiple graded stakes winner trained by Don MacRae. “I fell in love with him right from the start, but he was someone else’s horse at the time. As the years progressed, I ended up looking after him – just luck of the draw. We got on so well. He has a fantastic groom right now and I could not be more thrilled. He is one of those special horses. He is more of a champion each year.

“But it’s never been about those big-name horses for me.”

For Knight, it’s often the horses whose stories echo her own that stand out the most.

“I sought out the underdogs, the ones who take time to figure things out. Maybe they do well, maybe they don’t, maybe they haven’t reached their full potential. I like those ones.”

MacRae, a multiple graded stakes-winning trainer with over 600 career victories, is effusive in his praise of Knight.

“Lisa is someone who flat-out cares. She comes in with a positive mood every day and wants to make the team around her better. Her horses know her and even other horses in the barn know who she is and stop to be around her.

“She is a pleasure to be around and keeps the vibe in the barn solid every day.”

Currently, Knight is working Tuesdays and Sundays with veterinarian Candace Allen. There could be other work – back in the MacRae barn – on the horizon.

Wherever she is, it feels like she’s living her own version of a Hollywood story – one where horses take the lead roles.

“I have always tried to go the extra mile with horses and learn as much as I can. I am always trying to learn to be better at what I do, so that they can be the best version of themselves. Sometimes these horses just need a friend, and I always try to be that for them.”

Chris Lomon, Woodbine