Trainer Megan Scran has been around horses her whole life but didn't immediately enter the world of harness racing. The 30-year-old New Jersey native started with show horses before finding a job with Trond Smedshammer that would change her life trajectory. Scran now trains a stable of 10 that includes PA Sire Stakes runner-up Crantini, a contender to compete in the Mohawk Million. The hard-working young trainer took a few minutes off to speak to us about her journey in the sport and what could be ahead. How did you get started in harness racing? I've always worked with horses my whole life, I grew up showing actually. One of my friends was in the business and she told me I should go work with Trond Smedshammer and that's how I started. What did you learn from Trond Smedshammer as well as Rick Zeron before you started your own stable? Quite a bit. Trond early on let his grooms be really hands-on. I was very new to the business but I knew horses and he let me jog and train. I think that is a good way to learn early, to be given the lines and do it.  You started your own stable in 2018. Was it hard to go out on your own at just 25? Not really because I started small. I had just three horses at the time and then got a little more. It always helps to have good support around you but I was ready for it. You can't start out unless you have the right owner paying the bills. Back then I was also working for Rick [Zeron] so I could use his jog carts and I didn't have to buy all brand new stuff. What kind of car do you drive? Volkswagen Tiguan. Favorite dinner meal? Snack? I love filet mignon; cucumbers, I could eat them every day. What is your favorite track to race at? Why? I would say The Meadowlands. The paddock is great, the atmosphere is great, and there is definitely nothing like racing there on Hambo Day. How often are horses or racing on your mind? Pretty much all the time. I wish there was an off button.  When I texted you the other night you were at the barn. Do you ever go home? I work all morning and then I go home for a bit. Then I go back to feed the horses at night, get the training schedule ready for the next day, prepare for what's coming up the next week, and make sure I have my shipping and paddocking all set.  What is your favorite thing to do outside of harness racing? Go out on a lake, on a boat. Do you have a favorite sport to watch?  Not really. I don't watch sports. What is one word that describes harness racing for you? Thrilling. You've already reached double your career high in single-season earnings in 2022. To what do you owe that success? Just being a part of great connections and have some stakes-caliber horses racing for more money than your usual overnights. Definitely TheStable.ca has been a huge part of that this year. You've taken on a number of horses for The Stable and recently finished second with Crantini in the PA Sire Stakes 2-year-old colt trotting final. Do you see a performance like that helping your visibility? The Sire Stakes just happened last Sunday so hopefully people notice and come the yearling sales someone will want to buy one or two for me.  If you get to keep Crantini, what is next for him? We head up to Canada next week with him for the Champlain and as long as that goes well, TheStable.ca has a spot in the Mohawk Million, so that could be very fun. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Crantini starts from post 1 in the fourth race on Sept. 15 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.] It has to be very exciting to potentially have a starter in the Mohawk Million. Can you allow yourself to dream of winning a race like that? I dream about it all the time. You just have to have the horse for it and I hope we do. I can't wait but I want to get through the first race before I get super-excited for the next. I've also seen you in the winner's circle with Catch The Fire for the Luther's. Do you handle their horses on the east coast? They send them out here to me because they don't have a stable out here. I've been working for them for maybe a year-and-a-half now.  Considering Catch The Fire has won the Sam McKee on Hambletonian Day the last two years under your care, that must be a profitable deal for you? I'm not the trainer technically on him so I don't get to make the 5%.  How many horses do you currently have in your barn and where are you stabled at? 10 at Mark Ford's in Middletown [New York]. If you could plan it out, how do you see your career going? Hopefully up. I have a good gig right now with Anthony {Macdonald, The Stable]. He breaks them all and as they are ready to race he feeds them out to trainers where they are going to compete. I usually have one or two of my own every year to break but it would be nice to have a few more.  Do you have any prospective owners who would give you a yearling or two? I used to but not right now. I don't think Scott [Zeron] will want to spend any money after being on the shelf for all this time. I am selling a yearling in Lexington and if she doesn't bring enough money I'll keep her to train.  Since you brought him up, your boyfriend Scott Zeron was in an on-track accident back in July. How is he doing and when does he expect to return? He's doing well. He's in physical therapy and going to the chiropractor and acupuncture a lot. He has a removable cast and is waiting for a screw to heal. Hopefully he'll be back early to mid-October. He has to regain his strength again, too.  Are you tired of seeing him around the house all the time or enjoying the extra time together? I'm not home much because I work all the time so it it not like we are together 24/7 ready to rip each other's throats out. If you had the power to change one thing in the sport, what would it be? We need more promotion and a younger crowd. We need more people at the track. It has become too easy to gamble on your phone. People would enjoy the sport much more live. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter As a young person, how do we get younger people to the track? I forget what track it was but I saw pictures online of maybe Oak Grove where they had camels at the track and the grandstand was loaded with people to see the different animals. We just need more entertainment at our tracks to get people to go. If you look at Hambletonian Day, with all the food vendors, it is packed that day. How do you view the future of harness racing? We are going to need more horses. We have a horse shortage and every day tracks are texting, 'we need horses for this race'. I know COVID didn't help any of this but we have to find a way to get more horses. If you weren't involved in harness racing, what would you be doing? Probably something with horses. Probably working for a vet or something. Did you go to school for horses or anything? I never went to college because I didn't know what I wanted to do. I ran a riding horse farm and that is when I was talking to my friend about a change of pace and ultimately got into racing.  Time for the stretch drive... Best Horse you ever saw: Probably Marion Marauder. He was just my favorite, Paula Wellwood and Mike Keeling, they let me be a close part of that horse and I always helped them when they needed it at the track. He never won by much but he always got there. Also Catch The Fire. He has the biggest heart I've ever seen a horse had. He loves to win and he's a class act.  Lasix -- Yes or No?: Yes. Favorite TV Show?: I have many. I loved Ozark and Game Of Thrones. Trotters or Pacers?: When I worked for Trond we pretty much always had trotters and I loved them a lot. When I went on my own I've always had pacers. This year I've had a lot of trotters. They can be very aggravating but when trotters are good they can be much more fun than pacers.